Who is Paul Smith?

Paul Smith was waiting patiently in a partially covered bus stand shrouded in used newspaper and empty coffee cups for the next downtown express. His daily routine led him to this uneventful bus stop every Wednesday and nothing was different about today. The skies were fair, the sun danced from cloud to cloud, and the people bustled…if you can attribute bustling to people. Just like always. In and out of car sounds, oily road smells, and distant rumbles, Paul sat, legs crossed, book in hand, pretending to flip the next page of Atlas Shrugged for those willing to look up and take notice. No one did notice however, and as the 105 pulled into view, a line began to form, front to back with little issue or excitement. Just another Wednesday, you might think.

A young lady in her late 20’s filed in behind Paul, book in hand as well, although not near as pretentious as Paul’s, slightly brushing him as she fumbled through her purse. Something about her touch caused Paul to take notice, turning quickly to glimpse his line companion. The woman, plain and simple, just smiled as Paul returned his glance forward, focusing on the diminishing queue of people.

The bus was crowded and when Paul reached the two black steps, he grabbed his fare from his hip pocket and boarded, tossing his change in the automatic collector and nodding at the man behind the wheel. The driver, somewhat distracted, noticing Paul was the last passenger, pulled the door lever and waited for Paul to sit.

Taking his time, Paul sat near the front, next to an intellectual in his early 40’s. Not the best seat for a single man looking for random encounters or at least female conversation, but since Paul was in the mood to read, it really didn’t matter who he counted as his seat mate. The roar of the bus engine signaled their departure and through the bumps and jerky motions of the city bus, Paul turned the next page of his book.

The ride on the 105 had become routine as had the wait, the boarding, and the ultimate departure. Everything in Paul’s life was orderly. His days passed like well scripted manuscripts in which nothing was left to chance. He did entertain the idea of spontaneity from time to time but it had no part in his life, not really. He would rise in the mornings and retire in the evenings with accomplishments in work and folly but they were all part of a master plan. What Paul didn’t have, however, and what consumed him was the search for a significant other, someone who would complete the model of a man he had crafted. Someone who had eluded him at each bend in the road of life.

With the bus in motion and the passengers locked into their respective routines, a subtle hum below their seats will ignite a series of events that will change their lives forever. Nothing will ever be the same. Not for Paul or for any of the 105’s 65 passengers. As lives are cast again and again, Paul must conquer his biggest fears in a test of both physical and philosophical fortitude in order to answer life’s most compelling questions and fulfill his purpose.

What consequence does but one instant in time have on us all? Join me in exploring the nature of time and the gravity of life through the eyes of Paul Smith and the 64 other passengers on bus 105. This is not an idle Wednesday in Portland, Maine, it is a reckoning. All aboard!