Page 83 - My Home on the Earth

After a bite to eat and drink, he tidied up and left to walk into town to catch a bus. Passing the market, he spotted a crate of fruit and vegetables in the back of a trader’s van. With a quick glance around, he grabbed what he could from the box and nipped through the market to the bus terminal. The bus was late today, so he searched the pavements for discarded bus cards, especially at the bus pull-ins. Passengers often bought day passes and dropped them after one journey. But not today. He boarded his bus, paid his fare and settled down on the back seat. No matter how many people surrounded him on his journeys, he was alone and didn’t like it. He concentrated as the bus weaved in and out of housing estates, picking up passengers, and watched school children playing. He fondly remembered his old primary school and longed to go back to a carefree time when life was so simple.
The bus driver called out, ‘King’s Park!’ John got off and stood on the pavement to look around him. The park was huge, and roads led off in all directions. Believing one of the roads might be the avenue, he briskly set off to find it. His walk took longer than expected. He circled the park and ended up back where he started, feeling annoyed. Sunbury Avenue wasn’t close to the park as his mum said it was. When he asked for directions, passers-by either avoided him or wanted to know why. By quarter past four he was no nearer to finding the avenue. He found a bench in the park and sat down to watch bowls players finish their game and pack up to leave the green. They didn’t take any notice of a boy crunching a carrot, stolen with
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