Images of Temptation (Inspiration point)

I saw it as soon as I sat down. It was laying alongside a discarded crisp bag underneath the seat in front and to the left of me. It wasn’t that noticeable, well I mean it didn’t jump up at you, it just lay there alongside the crisp bag, salt and vinegar the crisps had been, I could see the illustration quite clearly, all shiny and gold. That’s why no one else had seen it I reckoned. It was the same colour as the bag. I glanced around me, did anyone look agitated? As if they’d lost something? Not as far as I could see.
The bloke in front in a neat business suit was reading the city page of the Evening Standard, making sure that the passenger next to him could see the headline on the page “Do you have £25,000 to invest?” It was clearly important to him that others thought he was a man of sufficient substance to be able to make an investment at that level. They could never know that he was an undischarged bankrupt who had no chance of ever having such a sum. Still he could dream. Ah…. what he would do with the profits that would accrue from such an investment. He’d make sure he didn’t blow the lot by yielding to the temptations he had found so irresistible in the good years. But the passenger next to him, a woman, seemed much more interested in the front page of the magazine held by the young girl in front of her. That reported a new split between Whatshis name and Thingy and speculated whether they would finally end their affair or get married. The look on her face suggested that if Thingy didn’t want Whatisname she’d be delighted to take him off her hands. She too could dream and would happily allow temptation to decide her future.
All very interesting but it didn’t get me any nearer to picking up that crisp bag. I had already decided that I would make a show of picking it up and at the same time gather the item that had caught my attention next to it. I’d make a suitably loud comment decrying the actions of litter louts. Then I’d put them boldly into my pocket and get off the bus at the earliest opportunity. Trouble was the bag was nearer to the rather superior looking middle aged woman occupying the inside seat next to me, than it was to me. I stole a look at her, would I be able to reach across her and pick up the bag? She was looking out of the window so I couldn’t see all of her face but what I could see convinced me she would approve of my action. Hair swept back from her face into a chignon, clear blue eyes, neatly pressed dark blue two piece suit, white blouse, beautifully manicured hands clasping a Louis Vuitton handbag. A mere suggestion of an expensive perfume reached me as she moved very slightly. Yes, she’d approve all right. Litter bugs and their like would be pure anathema to her.
I leaned forward with the intention of giving the appearance of discovering the crisp bag. I had it all worked out, an exaggerated look downwards under the seat in front, a long reach forwards past her knees, tutting as I did so. Then straightening up and holding the crisp bag, now screwed up in my hand, I would say loudly. “You’d think people would take their rubbish home with them wouldn’t you? Not just chuck it on the floor of the bus.” She would almost certainly smile and nod her agreement. I doubt if she would make any comment, her sort rarely do if they don’t know you do they?
I judged the distance between the back of the seat and her knees. If I reached across and couldn’t get to the crisp bag she might lean forward and pick it up, she would then see what I had seen and my opportunity would be lost forever. Even worse she might misunderstand my movement towards her knees and either scream or belt me over the head with the handbag…no matter how much it cost. That sort of trouble I could do without. The same danger presented itself if I tried to reach the bag with my foot. She might misconstrue my action and think I was trying to play footsie with her, with even more dire results. I faced something of a dilemma. I was now nearly half way to my destination, I had to do something and quickly. I thought about deliberately dropping my pen or my copy of the Sun. I would then have a reason to bend down to the floor. Bit obvious though, so perhaps not. Maybe she’d be getting off the bus before me, my hopes rose.
The bus pulled up at another stop, people got off, a couple got on. The bus pulled away and I resumed my planning. ‘It can’t be that difficult to pick up a crisp bag’ I told myself crossly. ‘Jist bend down and do it.’ I glanced sideways, she looked very calm and confident, had an air of no nonsense about her that I found quite intimidating. Her slim knees peeped below the sharp edge of her skirt, even her tights looked expensive and so did her shoes. What was she doing on a bloody bus anyway? She should be driving her own Audi. It was probably being serviced….just my luck! Any other day the seat would have been empty. I thought again about the distance between her knees and the back of the seat. I reckoned I could just about make it. But what if I somehow snagged one of her knees as I bent down, and caused a ladder to run up or down her leg. I became even more un-nerved at the prospect.
Another stop, the bloke in front rose, folded his paper and made for the exit; no one took his seat, the bus was now over half empty. ‘Why can’t the woman sitting next to me get off’ I thought and even as I did so I knew she would be going further than me. Sod’s Law had moved into overdrive. Well I wasn’t going to abandon my plan. I fully intended to pick up that crisp bag and the item I could see lying alongside it. I’d just stay on the bus until she gets off. Then there won’t be a problem, simple, why didn’t I think of that before? I leaned back into my seat, a faint smile on my face. I can solve any problem if I think about it long enough.
The girl in front folded her magazine and made ready to leave the bus at the next stop. I saw a chance to bring my plan to completion a bit earlier. I’d take her place then as I sat down I would ‘discover’ the bag under the seat and go through the actions I had rehearsed in my mind so many times. I looked sideways, Ms Audi had her eyes half closed. Clearly she wasn’t intending to get off the bus any time soon. The bus slowed as it approached a set of traffic lights. The girl in front stood up, tucked her magazine under her arm and moved towards the aisle that runs down the centre of the bus. I stood up at the same time and moved forward to take her seat. That’s when it all went wrong. A cyclist came out of a side street into the path of the bus as it pulled away from the lights. The driver stamped on his brakes and the bus jolted to a halt. I heard the exchanges between the driver and the cyclist but I won’t record them, I don’t want to get involved in some form of litigation by being a witness to an altercation. Anyway I had other things on my mind.
The forced, jolted stop caused the young woman from the seat in front of me to stagger sideways, I couldn’t get out of her way even if I had wanted to so I opened my arms and caught her. She smiled her thanks, I couldn’t help noticing how pretty she was and for a moment my mind went off in a totally different direction. I was very conscious of her body against mine and found myself sorely tempted to take my time over releasing her. She seemed to quite like my arms clasped tightly around her, frankly so did I. “I’m getting off at the next stop” she said breathlessly. I didn’t quite know what to say at the time, my senses were reacting to her rather heady perfume and I was very conscious of her hair spread across my chest. I slowly, actually it was very slowly now I came to think of it, removed my arms from around her waist and stood back into the seat I had just vacated. She smiled again as she passed and I watched her get off the bus and stroll down the road past the window nearest me. I stared at her as the bus pulled away…any other time I would have got off the bus too, I don’t get introductions to pretty girls quite so dramatically that often. Still I could move into her seat and retrieve the crisp bag and the item that had caught my attention now without further delay.
Life though isn’t always that straightforward. The item I had seen lying alongside the crisp bag was, I am certain, a ladies Rolex watch, a gold one, and it would be worth a lot, I knew because the shop next to the one I work in is a jewellers and they sell Rolex watches. There’s no such thing as a cheap one. I intended to pick it up and sell it in the neighbouring shop in the morning. Yes I know I should have handed it in but as Oscar Wilde said “I can resist anything but temptation”.
As it happens I didn’t get the chance to do either. I saw Ms Audi through the window as the bus gathered speed, walking closely behind the young woman I had clasped so enthusiastically in my arms just a few moments before; I need not have moved after all! I bent down to collect my booty. The crisp bag and the Rolex watch had gone. Appearances, like images, can be very deceptive you know, I still can’t make up my mind which of those two women now owns a gold Rolex watch. If it really was a ladies gold Rolex watch I’d seen nestling against the old crisp bag. I guess that’s something I’ll never know for sure.