That bench that you see in the background... is where i was sitting last Monday. I was waiting for my bus to come and reading a book. I read almost 200 pages while waiting for the freaking bus that will take me to Studio City. 

While i was immersed in how the Incas took over control and forged a vast empire in South America an Audi stop at the other side of the road and Rose, a teenage black haired girl, came out of the car and ran towards the light as fast as her short legs let her. She found herself stopped by a huge hand that threw invisible stopping lines at her and that didn't let her cross the street. 

The spanish looking villa on the back of the picture is a high school facility. Rose was a student at that institution. And you could see that she was late for class. Her wide open eyes, her body language, her look to one and other side of the street; all of this reflected the necessity of crossing the school doors as fast as the wind.

Finally, the walking guy, in other cities is a cold WALK sign, appeared. Rose crossed the street as fast as she could and rushed towards the entrance. I put my eyes on the book again, and forgot about her. 

Karin Muller's book was taking me to a time where the vast new empire fell against the old world in uneven confrontations and how this old world forced the new world to merge with it or die. Suddenly, 'puf', i felt that somebody sat on the other side of the bench, It was Rose!

She was speaking with her dad on the mobile phone and somehow ordering him to come back for her. Apparently, Dad did not want to please her demands. She hanged up. One could tell she was very upset. I check my watch. It was only 9 a.m and i thought that the gringos were very strict for not even letting her go to school because of being late. This would never happen back home, the most that they will do back in Colombia is that they would send a letter to her parents.

“How long does the 155 takes to arrive?”. Rose’s soft voice came gently into my ear. #155 was my bus too. Every hour they send one. I couldn’t resist to ask her what had happened to her. But I first asked, where she was going. “Burbank” she said. I pointed to her that Burbank was far from her school.  “That’s why I’m always late to it”, she responded. So, i asked her if this was what happenned today to her. “No. We should buy a calendar back at home. School starts in one week!” 

I didn’t laugh, it’s more common than it seems to be. I remembered back in college when I ran like crazy to an exam, just to find out that there was no class on that day:)