The Blind Eye

Cigarettes

As the bus hit its last rocky bump, its engine fluttered to a stop along with Adels confidence. It's not like she felt threatened by these people and their lofty guns that they wield around like a trophy, she was threatened merely by the atmosphere. It  was cold and uninviting, death and blood hung all around and suffocated her, it reminded her of things she'd rather forget. As the bus's doors snapped open, and the air entered the bus like a key unlocking the mystery of her brothers death, she shivered and blamed it on the chill. 

Girls started to stand, flattening out their dresses as they head to the front on the bus. The driver stretches his old bones and Adel corners herself farther into her seat, trying to act invisible. Ida and some of her friends giggle as they see her. "Don't fear it, its only one night." Ida says as she grabs her arm. Ida would pay for this later, Adel thought, though she felt like suffocating her now. All the girls head out of the bus following a man in a green uniform. He explains all they will do "Its just a dance!" He shouts "Besides, no funny business!" Some girls giggle and blush, but Adel backs away, disgusted. And the crowd moves along.

...

She hears classical type music play as they all walk into an opened up area. Its fully outdoors, though the dirt seems slightly paved, like they tried. Some Soldats already are standing, just jung men, greedy for some female attention they feel is deserved. Others sit on logs or plainly in the dirt smoking cigars or eating their rations. Some look ravenous, they gobble down their food like they expect the women the steal it. You can't just change a Soldiers conscience with the flip of a switch, or in that case, a change in the scenery.  

A small record player is the source for the classical music. Some have already begun talking and dancing, Adel now seeing how escape could be lethal, excepts the night and sit on an empty log. She watches people at scoffs at how vividly they must have resembled the last. Her exhaustion is overwhelming but the sense of uncertainty is more so. She sits still, quietly waiting for minutes, that turn to hours to tick by.

...

About 20 minutes of so later of sitting and pretending to care a man sits beside her. Adel turns her head, he is older, maybe in his thirties, and he also see's the dancing and festivity just as extravagant as she. He smirks at it and pulls out a cigarette. As he is about to strike a match he turns to her now staring back, "Want one?" he asks. She nods not knowing what else to do in the situation. He hands her one and she sets it in her mouth, though never having smoked before waiting for the strike of his match. Suddenly he bursts into loud and joyous laughter. "Never had one before, have ya?" he says with a chuckle as he takes it from her lips and turns it to the other side. Adel flushes with embarrassment as he finally lights his and her cigarette. He takes a few puffs and starts to stare into the distance, the little laughing feat now long gone. In his eyes are only sadness and fear. 

 Adel takes a puff of the embarrassment and coughs loudly as the acrid smoke fills her lungs.  A loud voice fills her ears as another man plops down beside the distant, cigarette smoking soldier. "Kat!" He says, clapping him on the back. So the sad man was Kat. "Enjoying the festivities and extra rations." He says with a wink. Kat turns to him and smiles as he is brought back to reality. 

The new man turns to Adel. "Hallo!" he says in his most gentlemen tone possible. "I'm Tjaden, this is Kat, though seems like you've met." Adel makes eye contact with Tjaden then turns away. She didn't come to make friends, she was only there by pure force. She takes another puff of the cigarette and goes straight into another coughing fit. Tjaden howls hoarsely, "Not you're favorite huh?!" he states as he goes into a laughing fit and claps Kat on the back again who starts to join him. Tjaden claps Adel on the back as well, but using as much brute force as he did to hit a 30 something year old soldier on his back, it lurches Adel forward.

 She's pissed off. With the laughing, with the jokes, with the disgusting taste of smoke. She grimaces and turns away. Tjaden stops laughing and clears his throat. "I'll take the rest if you don't want it." Kat turns to Tjaden and stares at him but Tjaden just shrugs his shoulders. "Hey, Not a crime to offer". Adel hands the cigarette to him without delay, anymore of that putrid smoke would make her vomit. He sucks in the smoke like oxygen, the cigarette doesn't last very long.

They don't sit in silence much longer when Tjaden starts with his gruesome jokes, not deathly but just crud and impolite for table talk. Though its quite grimy, they make Adel smirk a bit at his disgusting grin and yellow teeth. His hoarse chuckle seems to ring through the dirt dance floor, being funnier than the joke. His wheezes reach Adel and Kat as they both laugh, she stopped denying her situation (only because it seemed to be necessary).  Tjadens rank breath seemed to reach Adel after a while though lavishing her face with disgust.  Tjaden looks at her and asks "Well what seems to be your problem now?" its obviously a joke but she doesn't lie. "God how many damn cigarettes do you smoke!" she coughed out. This time they all start laughing, not one person on that bench is quiet. Even Adel finds herself enjoying the company. All three of them chuckle as Tjadens tobacco yellow teeth rattle in entertainment. And the nights sour taste starts to fade. 

TO BE CONTINUED...