The Heated Exchange
The city bus rattled along its usual route, filled with tired workers, students, and a few elderly passengers. Toward the back, a young man in a plain white tank top leaned against the window, his arms covered in tattoos. With earbuds in, he seemed lost in his music, unconcerned with the world around him.
Across from him, an elderly woman sat stiffly, her eyes darting between the ink on his skin and the view outside. She muttered under her breath until finally, she couldn’t hold it in. “Well, what kind of youth is this?” she burst out loud enough for half the bus to hear.
“Marking yourself like that! Those drawings are sinful. How can the earth bear people like you?”
The young man slipped out one earbud and asked politely, “Ma’am, is there a problem?”
“A problem?” she scoffed.
“You’ll never see heaven with arms like that. It’s shameful. In my day, no young man would dare talk back to his elders.
People like you are why society is crumbling. Look at you—covered in devil’s ink! If your parents saw you, they’d be horrified.
With those marks, you’ll never find a decent wife. The Lord will punish you, you’ll wander the earth until you repent for such heavy sins!”
She crossed herself dramatically, shaking her head. “May your hands wither if you defile them further with the needle!
Each drawing stains your soul darker and darker!”
The young man only sighed, turning back to the window. But the old woman kept muttering angrily, her voice sharp as knives.
The Sudden Turn
“Because of you, my blood pressure is up!
Thank heaven I don’t have children like you. Shame on you! There is no decent youth left!” she continued, her words echoing down the bus aisle.
Then, suddenly, her voice faltered. Her face drained of color. She clutched her chest with a trembling hand.
“Oh… I can’t breathe… I feel faint…” she gasped. For a moment, the bus was filled with silence. Passengers shifted uncomfortably.
Some looked away, pretending not to notice. Others whispered but stayed seated, unwilling to get involved. Only the tattooed young man moved.
He pulled out both earbuds and looked directly at her.
The Words That Stunned Everyone
He rose from his seat, his voice calm but steady. “Ma’am, I’m trained in first aid.
The story doesn’t end here –
it continues on the next page.
TAP → NEXT PAGE → 👇
