Beauty Comes From Empty Gums

I felt safe behind my over sized sunglasses as I rode public transit number ten. Of the few conversations around me, most were drowned underneath the metal hammer clanging of the inevitable bus versus pothole battle. As usual, the potholes emerged victorious. My head swelled from a migraine and I fought nausea at every jolt of the brakes, considering whether it was worth it to walk the next five miles. Just as I thought that my chances would be better on the sidewalk, I felt a tug on my sleeve. I turned to face a set of toothless gums turned up in a broad smile. The man was fragile, holding a worn Bible in his bony hand. "It is a beautiful day", he said to me, in a voice that seemed to conquer the bus symphony. At first I recoiled, wondering how I was supposed to answer this man. I settled for a nod, hoping he would understand that I didn't actually want to talk to him. "It was foggy and rainy this morning, and now it is sunny. It is a beautiful day", he repeated. He laughed aloud, his voice now booming above all side conversation, bearing the emptiness of his mouth, completely unashamed.
I couldn't help but laugh with him, feeling the power of his openness fill my aching head, and more pressingly, my aching heart. I tore down the wall between us, removing my sunglasses. He gabbed his chest and whispered to me, "You have such beautiful eyes, brown eyes are the most beautiful of all". Although he spoke so simply, his words echoed within me. He pointed to the promise ring on my left hand and asked if I was married. I replied honestly, telling him I planned to be someday soon. He seemed to ripple with joy, genuinely excited about my future. As he continued to talk, he told me of his own wedding where he wore flowers in his hair, and could never afford a stone for his late wife's ring. He was there, next to me, pouring out the deepness of his love and devotion to this woman. He held nothing from me, never considering me the stranger that I truly was.
His stop came all too soon, and as he walked slowly to the front he paused to give the parting words, "Remember, it is a beautiful day". I was not sure if these were directed at me, or rather the collective, and captive audience before him. As he stepped onto the sidewalk I almost expected him to open an umbrella and float into the clouds. I moved over into the window seat and watched as the scenery turned into whizzing color. I placed those over sized glasses onto my face, and couldn't help but mumble to myself, "Autumn, it is such a beautiful day".