When the bus stopped in Culpeper, most of the riders didn't get off. Knowing that I had another five hours until we got to Williamsburg, I headed for the restroom and the snackbar. It was about 10 at night and the food counter was closed. I was at the mercy of the snack machines, and they looked puny. One bag of Barbecued pork rinds and a column of Fig Newtons. 14 other empty rows of little white half circles, snack tombstones.

I didn't notice her at first. She was sitting off to the side, curled up in and around a backpack. When I turned away with my waterbottle and shook my head, she reached into her bag and tossed me a box of animal crackers. The real ones with the circus wagon box and the little string handle.

You can have these, I got more. I stuttered out a thank you and was going to offer her some...what?...water? Kleenex? I don't know. But the bus driver honked and I scooted out to the bus and left her there.

When I looked back over my shoulder she had already closed her eyes and was trying to appear asleep. Satisfied, I was thinking. Cheap Karma.