ng — right onto his head. He tried to close the hatch, but it was stuck fast.

Every few seconds, another trickle landed with a soft “plop” on his head.

“Having some trouble there?” I called out sweetly.

He whirled around, water flying from his woolen beanie. “Shut up! This is all your fault somehow, I know it!”

I held up my hands innocently.

“Hey, I’m way down here. Maybe it’s just… karma?”

A woman on a bus | Source: Midjourney

The mom with the baby, who had finally settled down, giggled. The jerk shot her a venomous look before slumping in his seat, occasionally swatting at the water drops like they were flies.

A middle-aged woman sitting nearby whispered to me, “I’ve never seen anything like this.

It’s like the universe is teaching him a lesson.”

I nodded, trying to keep a straight face. “Three strikes and you’re out, right?”

As we neared our destination, a wicked idea popped into my head. I dug into my wallet, pulling out a wad of cash — mostly ones, but with a couple of twenties on top to make it look impressive.

Quietly, I slipped it under the seat closest to where I was standing.

The woman secretly places a wad of cash under a seat, planning her next move | Source: Pexels

“Oh my gosh,” I said loudly, bending down. “Look what I just found!”

The entire bus went quiet. I held up the money.

“Did anyone lose this? It was under this seat here.”

The jerk’s head snapped up so fast I thought he’d get whiplash. His eyes were wide, fixed on the cash in my hand.

“That’s mine!” he shouted, leaping up.

“I was sitting there earlier! I must have dropped it!”

I raised an eyebrow. “Oh really?

Somehow I doubt that. Can you prove it? Did anyone see that man sitting in this seat here?” I called out loudly, pointing at the spot where I’d planted the cash.

People on a bus | Source: Pexels

A chorus of “nos” sounded from our fellow passengers, much to my satisfaction.

The man’s face turned an interesting shade of purple.

“Give me my money, you thief!” he insisted.

He lunged forward, trying to grab the cash. But karma wasn’t done with him yet. His shoe caught on someone’s bag, and he went sprawling face-first into the aisle.

There was a collective gasp, then silence.

Slowly, the jerk pushed himself up, clutching his arm. “You’ll pay for this,” he hissed at me. “I’ll sue!”

I couldn’t hold back my laughter any longer.

“Sue me for what? Finding my own money?”

His jaw dropped. “What?”

A rude man | Source: Midjourney

I fanned out the bills, showing that it was mostly ones.

“It’s my money. I was teaching you a lesson about karma and assuming things. Maybe next time you’ll think twice before taking someone’s seat and being rude to a mom and her baby.”

The entire bus erupted in applause.

The jerk’s face was a mix of rage and embarrassment as he slunk back to his soggy seat.

The teenager from earlier gave me a thumbs up. “That was epic! You totally owned him!”

A teenage boy | Source: Midjourney

I shrugged, trying to act nonchalant, but inside I was doing a victory dance.

As we pulled into the station, the mom with the baby caught my eye.

“That was amazing,” she said. “Thank you for standing up to him.”

I smiled. “Us bus riders have to stick together, right?

Besides, your little guy did most of the work.”

She laughed, bouncing the now-sleeping baby. “He’s usually such an angel. I guess he just knew that man needed a lesson.”

The elderly gentleman who had spoken to me earlier chuckled.

“In all my years of riding buses, I’ve never seen justice served quite like that. Well done, young lady.”

An elderly gentleman | Source: Midjourney

We all filed off the bus, the jerk pushing past everyone in his haste to get away. As I watched him storm off, still dripping, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction.

“Karma’s a funny thing,” I mused to myself.

“And sometimes, it rides the bus.”

As I walked away from the bus stop, I noticed the young mom struggling with her bags and the baby. I jogged over to her.

“Need a hand?” I asked.

She looked relieved. “Oh, would you?

That would be wonderful.”

A woman with her baby | Source: Pexels

As we walked together, she introduced herself as Lisa and her baby boy as Sam.

“I’m Carla,” I said. “Where are you headed?”

“Just to my sister’s place,” Lisa replied. “It’s a few blocks from here.

I hope I’m not taking you out of your way.”

I waved off her concern. “Not at all. After that bus ride, I could use a nice walk.”

We chatted as we walked, laughing about the incident on the bus.

As we turned a corner, I stopped dead in my tracks. There, at a nearby café, sat the jerk from the bus, looking miserable as he tried to dry himself with paper napkins.

Lisa followed my gaze and stifled a giggle. “Should we say hello?”

I grinned mischievously.

“You know what? I think we should.”

We approached his table, and I cleared my throat. “Fancy seeing you here.”

He looked up in embarrassment.

“You! Haven’t you done enough?”

A man seated at a café table | Source: Pexels

I held up my hands peacefully. “Actually, I came over to apologize.

The money thing was a bit much.”

He seemed taken aback by my admission. “Oh. Well… I suppose I wasn’t exactly on my best behavior either.”

Lisa stepped forward, bouncing Sam gently.

“We all have bad days. Maybe we can start over?”

The man’s face softened as he looked at the baby. “He is kind of cute when he’s not screaming.”

We all laughed, the tension dissipating.

As Lisa and I turned to leave, the man called out, “Hey, what’s your name?”

“Carla,” I replied.

He nodded. “I’m Victor. And… I’m sorry about the seat thing.”

I smiled.

“Water under the bridge, Victor. Or should I say, water through the roof?”

He groaned good-naturedly at my joke, and we parted ways. As Lisa and I continued our walk, I couldn’t help but feel that maybe, just maybe, karma had worked its magic on all of us today.

Source: amomama