" Excuse me sir ", a feminine voice sounded, snapping James out of his train of thoughts.
" Yes, what may I do for you " replied James, who looked up, meeting the girl's gaze with his.
Taking a good look at the girl, he could tell she was somewhere around his age, and from her dressing, he understood she should be an attendant on the bus. The dress she was putting on looked like the same design other staffs of the bus had on them.
" Do you care for a glass of water? " She asked.
" A glass of water …, ummm, please, I kind of don't have money with me " James said, embarrassed.
A snort rang out from the mouth of the passenger on the seat opposite the left side of James seat.
James turned his head and took a look at the origin of the snort. It came from a young, extravagantly dressed boy whose eyes spilled a heavy sense of plain arrogance .
Shaking his head, James returned his gaze to the girl, knowing he didn't want anything to do with the arrogant boy, whether positively or negatively.
" What are you feeling bad for, the water is free. The company provided it as refreshments for passengers, not me " the female attendant said to James in a friendly tone.
' Free. Why didn't you say so earlier? ' thought James. He quickly stretched out his hands to grasp a cup without any shame. Like common, he had actually been quite thirsty for a while now, but he had no choice but to endure as he was unwilling to waste money the previous time the bus parked. He couldn't possibly raise an alarm for a quick park just because he needed to buy a bottle of water, could he. It would attract the anger of other passengers.
" Thanks " he said as he quickly took a glass cup filled with water from the tray of glass cups the girl held.
Just as he was about to dose it down quickly so he could return the glass to the girl, the girl spoke out again.
" Take your time, I will come back for the glass cups later " she said.
" Thanks " James thanked her and took only a sip, trying to feign decorum.
A gaze filled with disdain stared at him this entire time. One which he noticed but chose to ignore.
Usually, gazes like that makes him furious, but for some reason, coming from this boy, he felt nothing.
Surprisingly, the next in line for the female attendant to attend to was the boy, the arrogant boy.
With an expressionless face, the female attendant stared at him and spoke " Good afternoon sir, please do you care for a glass of water " She asked emotionlessly.
The boy in question didn't seem to notice her indifferent attitude but instead took her actions as trying to please him.
He threw James a taunting look while dipping his hand into his pocket and slowly pulling out something.
While doing this, he seemed to have forgotten the female attendant standing before him, waiting for his reply. All that occupied his mind was to show off.
" Sir, I am still here " The attendant spoke sarcastically. " Please do you care for a glass of water " She asked again, already losing her patience.
" Ohhh, sorry for the wait " He said awkwardly while throwing the girl a faint angry glare.
He quickened the pace of drawing his hand out of his pocket while stretching out his other hand to pick up a glass.
On the hand he pulled out of his pocket laid a one thousand Naira note which he stretched out to pass unto the female attendant.
" You could use this to get yourself a bottle water " The boy spoke haughtily.
While saying this, he also quickly threw James another taunting glance before returning his gaze to the girl, awaiting her thanks.
The girl's eyes flashed with disdain and spoke " Sorry sir, I don't need your money. I don't accepts things from strangers. Besides, I supplying this glasses of water means we have more than enough water on the bus. The water is even more purer than most bottle water sold out there. Thank you for your concern sir. I would be taking my leave now " She declined professionally, but with slight sarcasm and without waiting for approval turned to the next person.
This person sitting beside the arrogant boy was also a boy of about James age.
Without waiting for the girl's speech, he spoke " Pass it on ".
With a smile the girl stretched out her hand, moving the tray nearer to him and he picked up a glass cup, and that was the end of their interaction, very quick and swift.
The arrogant boy who had been quiet for a while suddenly spoke " You, aren't you afraid I would report you for bad service " He actually threatened the girl.
His words immediately raised a commotion on the bus, with various passengers starting gossips at different seats.
" Who is this arrogant young man "
" Like seriously, where does he think he is, his father's mansion "
" His father's mansion … . Even if this was his father's mansion, that is if his father actually has one, is that how to behave "
" Chai, I wonder how parents train their kids this days "
" Who knows whether he is a fake portraying to be something he is not "