Light of success on the other shore

Author: Ma Guofu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-10-01
Features:
A girl falls in love with a window
On cold winter days, the girl takes the bus to and from work every day. Every time she rides the bus, she meets a boy. Strangely, even when there are seats available, the boy never sits. He leans his back tightly against the window opposite the girl and stands quietly. The passengers inside, wearing thick cotton coats, are still shivering, while the boy is dressed very lightly. At first, the boy doesn’t attract the girl’s attention, but over time, she begins to notice him—he always stands by the window. The boy’s strange behavior puzzles her.
The elegant and beautiful girl is somewhat aloof at work, standing out like a sore thumb. She often comes and goes alone and is pursued by many suitors, including talented and well-off white-collar professionals with cars and houses. Yet she ignores them all and politely rejects them. One morning, it began snowing heavily. After work at noon, the girl meets the boy again on the bus, and he still leans his back tightly against the window. The boy glances at the girl unintentionally, while she is engrossed in a fashion magazine. The girl feels his gaze through the corner of her eye. She looks up and smiles faintly, her smile sincere and beautiful. Their eyes meet, and the boy quickly lowers his head, his face flushing slightly. When she gets off the bus, the blush on his face hasn’t faded yet. In the girl’s eyes, his shyness is adorable.
After work that afternoon, the girl doesn’t see the boy on the bus. The seat he usually occupies is empty. She only notices then that the window he often leaned against has several large holes in it. However, by the afternoon, the driver had already covered the holes with tape. Suddenly, the girl realizes that the boy stood there to block the cold wind coming through the broken window. Her heart warms, and she feels a desire to get to know him. She thinks that such a considerate boy must have a kind and understanding heart.
The next day, the boy doesn’t come to take the bus. Sitting on the bus, the girl feels empty inside. She has no interest in flipping through the magazine in her hands. She longs for his presence, for the chance to chat with him casually.
On the third day, the boy comes, but this time, he sits down instead of standing. The girl approaches him and greets him, "Hey, you’re here too." The boy smiles, and the girl smiles back, her smile pure and honest. The girl falls in love with the window and the gentle heart that leans against it.
Later, people often see the girl and the boy walking hand in hand on the bus. Eventually, the girl wears the wedding dress the boy gave her. On their wedding day, the girl asks the boy, "Why did you stand when there were seats available on the bus back then?"
"You silly girl," the boy says, "the window had several holes. If you sat facing the window, who would have the heart to let such a beautiful girl freeze? Even though I didn’t know you then, the moment I saw you, I felt an urge to protect you and keep you warm."
Eileen Chang once said, "To meet the person you are meant to meet in the vast sea of millions, in the endless wilderness of time spanning millions of years, neither too early nor too late—you just happen to meet. There’s nothing more to say except to gently ask, ‘Oh, are you here too?’"
These words reveal the truth. On a crowded bus, the girl met the boy and, through the small window, understood his silent heart. Wasn’t this the will of heaven?
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