The Last Seat on the Bus

Every afternoon, the old blue bus waited at the corner with one seat always left empty at the back. Rafi sat there on the first day of school, clutching his bag, pretending not to notice the whispers around him.

On the second day, someone slid into that seat.

Her name was Mina. She didn’t ask questions. She just smiled and shared her peanuts.

Day by day, the seat became their world. They traded stories instead of snacks—Rafi talked about his fear of speaking in class, Mina shared her dream of becoming a painter. When exams were hard or days felt heavy, the bus ride home made everything lighter.

One rainy afternoon, Mina didn’t come. The seat stayed empty. Rafi felt the silence more than the noise of the bus.

The next day, she returned with a bandaged arm and the same smile.
“Missed the bus,” she joked.

Rafi smiled back, realizing something simple and true: friendship isn’t about filling space—it’s about making someone feel less alone, even when the seat is empty. 🌱