How Can Words So Ugly, Come From a Mouth So Beauitful?
Him
I sat there on that same raggedy bus, lost in my thoughts. The project deadline was in three days. At the very least, I needed to gather requirements by the end of the day. Racing back and forth in my mind with all that needed to be done, I knew this work, if done well, could mean a promotion for me—a long-awaited breakthrough for my career.
Suddenly, the bus jolted to a stop to collect new riders. From my periphery, I saw them filing in one by one. Drowning in my thoughts, I threw my head back and breathed deeply. That’s when I saw her. Her skin radiated with warm, earthy tones of chestnut. Her eyes were as dark as red wine, matching her long, woven locs cascading down her shoulders to her waist. Her full, shapely lips were like the gentle arc of two crescent moons resting serenely atop each other. Her plain, unembellished shirt gently settled over her full breasts, subtly revealing her beautiful form. She didn’t just walk; she swayed gracefully as her long, flowing skirt undulated from right to left.
I hadn’t noticed I was holding my breath until I was forced to inhale loudly. Surprisingly, she sat in the seat right behind me. Moments later, the most melodious laughter arose from behind me. Her giggling sounded like music, traveling up and down the scales, peaking at the highest notes when she found something truly funny. Then it happened. Like daggers to my ears, amidst the joking and bursts of laughter, I heard curses and profanities scurry from her lips. Her words were a bitter taste from some ungodly dark hole. She flung her vile words like darts everywhere. My enchantment shattered into a thousand pieces, and I seethed with anger. How dare she destroy the charm I had basked in moments before? She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, and in an instant, she ruined it. How dare she!
In a moment of hot rage, I rose to my feet, turned around, met her gaze, and in a firm and steady voice hurled at her, “How can such ugly words come out of a mouth so beautiful?” Startled, she gazed up at me with her beautiful brown eyes, laced with lovely black lashes, stunned and speechless. I watched her bright smile, like stars in a black night sky, fade away. Her brown eyes, filled with shock and amazement, slowly lowered as she slumped into her seat. I turned slowly and sat down, feeling flushed with embarrassment. I had spoken harshly, but I thought, “She only speaks that way because she doesn’t know who she is. She doesn’t know her beauty. She doesn’t know those words betray her very essence. I only wanted her to know such talk has no place in a woman so beautiful as her. It’s beneath her. She’s too good for that. She’s too good for this whole damned world!” No matter how I tried to rationalize it, I couldn’t help but feel I had pricked her in a way I now deeply regretted.
For the duration of the bus ride, she didn’t speak a word—neither vulgar nor beautiful. She rode in silence, no longer engaging with her joking comrades. Eventually, the bus came to a stop, and she rose to her feet. Passing by me with her head a little lower than when she had first boarded, I desperately hoped to catch her eye one more time to let my gaze speak what my mouth no longer could. With great fortune, she did look at me one more time. I raised my hand gently in a gesture of goodbye—really, a ‘sorry’ and ‘goodbye.’ With her delicate fingers, graced with long nails, she feebly reciprocated my gesture. Just like that, the bus drove away, and I never saw that beautiful woman again.
“Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman without discretion.”
I couldn’t shake the image of her from my mind. The bus ride had become a pivotal moment in my otherwise monotonous routine. I wondered about her life, her dreams, and what had shaped her to speak in such a manner. My thoughts drifted back to my own life—the pressures at work, the loneliness that often accompanied my ambitions. Her presence had been a brief, intense interruption.
The next day, I found myself on the same bus, scanning each new passenger, hoping to see her again. My mind raced with rehearsals of what I would say if I got the chance to apologize. But she wasn’t there. Days turned into weeks, and I eventually gave up hope of ever seeing her again.
One evening, I attended a community event at a local church—a charity fundraiser with music, food, and fellowship. As I wandered through the crowd, appreciating the joyful atmosphere, I heard that familiar melodious laughter. My heart raced as I followed the sound, weaving through the gathering until I found her, surrounded by friends, animatedly discussing something.
She looked different—more relaxed, more herself. Gathering my courage, I approached her. “Hi,” I began, my voice tentative. “I don’t know if you remember me from the bus…”
Her eyes met mine, and I saw a flicker of recognition. “Yes, I remember,” she said softly, her expression curious.
“I wanted to apologize for my harsh words. I was out of line,” I confessed, my voice trembling slightly.
She studied me for a moment, then smiled gently. “Thank you. I appreciated your honesty, even if it stung. It made me think.”
We found a quiet corner and began to talk. She introduced herself as Lily and shared her story. She was a devout Christian, struggling with being different from those around her. To cope with the pressure to fit in, she had adopted vulgar language, even though it clashed with her true self and values.
“I’ve been feeling so conflicted,” she admitted, her voice tinged with sadness. “I want to be accepted, but I also want to stay true to who I am. It's hard to balance.”
I, in turn, shared my own battles with self-doubt in my career and how I often felt isolated despite my efforts. We discovered we had more in common than we had imagined, both trying to navigate worlds that often seemed at odds with our inner values.
As the evening drew to a close, Lily invited me to join her at a Bible study group she attended. “Come see what we do. Maybe it will inspire you too,” she said, her eyes sparkling with warmth.
From that day forward, we became friends, supporting each other through our respective journeys. I attended her Bible study sessions and watched as she slowly found the courage to express her true self, letting go of the need to fit in through the use of vulgar language. She began to speak with a newfound confidence, her words now reflecting the beauty and grace that matched her appearance.
Our initial confrontation on the bus had opened a door to a deeper understanding. The woman who had once shattered my enchantment became someone who enriched my life in ways I never expected. Together, we found a balance, learning from each other, growing, and becoming better versions of ourselves.
