The 6:21 Bus

British accent

Larry worked in a factory outside the city. Every day he did the same job. He checked small metal parts and put them into boxes. He did not like the work, but he needed the money.

Every morning, Larry left home at six o’clock. At 6:21, he got on the same bus.

The same people were always there.

An old man sat near the front. A nurse sat by the window. Two men in work clothes stood near the door. A young woman looked at her phone. A student listened to music.

Nobody talked. Nobody smiled. Everybody looked tired.

Larry sometimes wanted to say, “Good morning.” But he never did.

After thirty minutes, the bus stopped near the factory. Larry got off and went to work.

The next day was always the same.

Then one Monday morning, everything changed.

The bus was almost at the factory when the old man suddenly dropped his bag. He put his hand on his chest.

His face became very white. He tried to speak, but no words came.

The bus driver stopped at once. “Is anybody here a doctor?” she asked.

Nobody answered.

Then the nurse stood up. “I’m a nurse,” she said. “Please give me some space.”

Larry and the two men moved quickly. They helped people move to the back of the bus.

The nurse spoke to the old man in a calm voice.

“Can you hear me?” she asked.

The old man opened his eyes, but his face was very white.

The young woman took out her phone.

“I’ll call for help,” she said.

The student looked out of the window.

“I can see an ambulance station,” he said. “It’s only across the road.”

The bus driver opened the doors. “Go!” she said.

The student ran as fast as he could. After a few minutes, an ambulance came.

The ambulance workers got on the bus. They checked the old man and put him on a bed with wheels.

Before they left, one of the workers smiled.

“You all helped,” he said. “That was very important.”

The doors closed.

Nobody spoke for a moment.

Then Larry looked at the empty seat.

“I hope he’s OK,” he said quietly.

“So do I,” the nurse answered.

The young woman smiled.

“My name is Emma,” she said.

“I’m Larry.”

“I’m Ben,” said one of the men.

The other man laughed.

“And I’m Carlos.”

Soon everyone was talking.

They spoke about work. They spoke about football. They spoke about their families.

The bus did not feel cold or quiet anymore.

The next morning, Larry got on the 6:21 bus.

The old man was there. He looked tired, but he smiled.

Everyone clapped.

“We’re happy to see you!” Emma said.

The old man laughed.

“The doctor said I was very lucky,” he said. “Thank you.”

The nurse smiled.

“We all helped,” she said.

From that day, the bus was different.

People said good morning. They talked about their weekends.

Sometimes they shared food. Sometimes they laughed. Sometimes they sat together.

Larry still worked in the same factory.

His job was still boring.

The days were still long.

But every morning, he looked forward to the 6:21 bus.

He knew there would be friendly faces waiting for him.

One day, Larry thought about the morning when the old man became ill.

Before that day, everyone sat alone.

After that day, nobody wanted to be alone again.

📒 Key vocabulary

• factory – a building where people make things
• parts – small pieces of something larger
• dropped (drop, dropped, dropped) – let something fall by accident
• chest – the front part of your body between your neck and your stomach
• space – an empty place or area
• ambulance – a special vehicle that takes ill or injured people to hospital
• wheels – round parts that help a vehicle move
• empty – with nothing inside
• clapped (clap, clapped, clapped) – hit your hands together to show you are happy
• shared (share, shared, shared) – give something to other people so they could use or have it too
• boring – not interesting; making you feel tired or not excited

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