***
It bothered Harry himself until the party. Harry had taken the gradual loss of his eyesight with a serenity that would have scared most people. He saw the positive in the situation because Harry was a glass full kind of person.
It'd had been the same as the start of any other shift, no-one around as most staff finished an hour before Harry arrived for his shift. Harry was a little disappointed when he arrived at the depot that night. He saw the banner.
Goodbye Martin.
He'd missed his oldest friends retirement party. He knew this meant he'd never see him again. This wasn't the type of job where you socialised with your fellow workers. Harry was sure Martin had gone home to enjoy his allotment, his retirement and the rest of his life.
The bus key was sitting in his pigeon-hole.
Harry missed his nightly ritual with Martin, it had made working nights that much more tolerable to have a friendly face about and a short chat each night. It looked to have been a decent knees up so Harry was grateful for that much at least, Martin would have gone knowing how much he'd been appreciated. The place just wouldn't be the same without him.
Harry made his way across the stands alone. Although the depot was technically the first pick-up point Harry had never taken any passengers from there.
Until tonight.
A small man in a brown greatcoat stood waiting by the bus.
"Just got to open up, get her running and I'll get you on board sir." Harry said.
"No rush Harry." It was Martin. Harry barely recognised his friend out of uniform. They were the only clothes he'd ever seen Martin wearing.
"I'm sorry I missed the party Martin." said Harry as he climbed into the cab.
"It's okay Harry, they gave me a good send-off." Martin said.
"Retirement eh? I bet you thought that you'd never live to see the day." Harry said.
"Something like that." replied Martin.
With the bus up and running, Martin boarded and showed Harry his pass.
Harry waved him off. "Even if you didn't have a pass, you'd travel free on any bus I'm driving, old friend."
Martin walked back to the seats and sat down. It was where he had chosen that caused Harry to say something. "Er, Martin? Could you move back just one more row please? Some of my regulars are a bit funny about always sitting in exactly the same spot for each journey. And the chap who sits there is especially a stickler."
Martin got up and moved back without complaint.
Harry normally didn't try to talk to his regular passengers but Martin was a friend, that relationship was something different.
"Going far Martin?" he asked.
"Far enough." replied Martin.
"I didn't know you lived near this route." said Harry.
"You should know this job by now Harry, you learn something new every day." replied Martin.
Not exactly the answer Harry was looking for, nor close to any kind of explanation either but Harry had known Martin his whole career. He was entitled to not only a lot of slack but had always been afforded great respect by all who worked with him. Harry decided to just drop it. As he recalled, this wasn't really the type of route where you asked travellers questions.
Perhaps not even to long time friends either.
All the regulars were aboard that night, Mr Parsons as stiff as ever. He never even acknowledged Martins existence.
'Ignorant man' thought Harry to himself 'Sitting right there behind him and he didn't even take a second to say hello.'
Megan, Aggie and George all got on at their usual stop. Each of them also said hello to Martin. Not just hello.
But "hello Martin". They knew his name.
They'd greeted him like a long lost friend. Only Mr Parsons had ignored him but Harry assumed that was just him being his normal obnoxious self.
And again he had to remind himself, he may have worked with Martin but he didn't really know the man well. He only even knew about the allotment as Martin had mentioned it once during a conversation on a break one day. Other than that, he truly didn't know Martin at all.
The rest of the journey was quiet and Harry reached the terminus bang on time as always.
George rushed off into the darkness as usual, Megan skipped off towards the gate carrying her ball under one arm and Harry helped Aggie get her trolley off the bus.
"End of the line Martin, everyone has to get off." said Harry, unsure exactly what his friend was doing here.
"Thanks Harry. I think I'm in the right place." replied Martin.
Mr Parsons got up. "Yes Martin, you are. This is your stop."
Martin smiled. "Can you show me where to go please?" he said.
"Of course," replied Mr Parsons. "Just come with me, everything is ready."
Mr Parsons offered out a hand to Martin who got up and started to walk down the aisle to the door of the bus.
"Are you sure about this Martin?" asked Harry.
"Harry, do you remember what I said on the first night? Don't ask the passengers any questions. I'm alright, this is where I need to be. Goodnight old friend, have a safe journey back."
Martin was right of course, Harry had no reason to ask a passenger about their journey nor any right to question his friend. If he said this was his stop then it was.
End of discussion.
Harry watched as Mr Parsons led Martin off into the darkness going only they knew where. 'No questions driver.' Even then Harry could hear Mr Parsons thinking that in his head as they disappeared from view.
The nights at the depot got depressing without Martin for company, even if it had only been for the short walk to the bus it had still been nice to have his company. Harry drove the route as efficiently as ever but his mind wandered and his heart wasn't really in the job he had loved for so long now. The joy had gone, just like his old friend.