214號公車 Literary Composition: Bus No. 214

A few days ago, towards the end of the Lunar New Year holiday, I—having lived away from home for an extended period—seized the last opportunity to reunite with friends in my hometown. We agreed to dine at the “Harbour Buffet” in Kaohsiung’s Hanshin Department Store. A single meal, however, proved insufficient to fill the void left by the long absence from shared daily life. After finishing our meal, we decided to relocate to Dream Mall, a place full of laughter and memories.

My friends left ahead on their scooters; I opted to take the bus. Having lived in Taipei for some time, I had grown accustomed to daily reliance on public transport, yet at home I am usually driven by family, so my bus journeys there are few and far between. Upon boarding Bus No. 214, familiarity and novelty mingled: familiar because the bus system in my hometown resembles Taipei’s in overall layout, novel because, for the first time in a while, I perceived the beauty of my hometown reflected through the bus window, prompting the lament, “near and far, high and low, each is different; one cannot recognise Mount Lu’s true face.” Before long, the bus arrived at the Kaohsiung Main Public Library located on Shin Kong Road. The “Main Library” harbours memories of the first year of high school when friends and I studied there diligently; gazing at the stars after the ten o’clock closing hour marked the end of the day’s labours. The bus then turned right and proceeded along Zhonghua Road—this area being where I grew up. The bus moved at an unhurried pace; looking out of the window, I almost saw my father and myself savouring minced pork rice and fresh fish soup beneath the amber streetlights.

The bus eventually reached its destination, the LRT Dream Mall station. I recalled the days in senior year of high school when friends and I would ride into the setting sun, cross the “Qianzhen Star” bridge and race down the slope—those moments of shared laughter and conversation returned vividly, comforting and fresh. This short bus journey felt like a theatre; the window acted as a curtain and the passing streetscapes served as a documentary of life, evoking abundant memories. Bus No. 214 thus connects one beautiful episode of the past to another.

If travel is a reunion with oneself, then my high school years were a deeper acquaintance with my own heart—an understanding of my true intentions. The opportunity that opened this door came in my second year of high school through encounters with benefactors and inspiring teachers: coincidentally, my class at the time was Class 2–14 (214). This bus journey seemed to remind me, “Do not forget your original intention.” I still remember my original aspiration: to be a person who is both warm and strong.

前些日子，在過年收假的尾端，長期在外生活的我把握在家鄉和友人們最後相聚的機會，相約前往位於高雄漢神百貨的「海港自助餐」飽餐一頓，僅僅一餐飯顯然無法抒懷久久未同一起生活的空缺。完食後我們決定轉移陣地至充滿歡笑與回憶的「夢時代」購物中心。

友人們先行同夥騎車離開，我則是選擇搭乘公車。在台北生活多時的我早已習慣每日與大眾運輸為伍，不過在家鄉平時多由家人接送，搭公車的次數屈指可數!搭上214號公車後，熟悉和陌生參半，熟悉在於家鄉公車的配置與台北公車大同小異，陌生則是因頭一遭透過車窗映照而感受家鄉之美，不禁興起「遠近高低各不同，不識廬山真面目」的慨歎。轉眼間，公車已來到位於新光路的高雄市立圖書館總館，「總圖」埋藏著過往高中一年級時和好友一同苦讀的時光，十點閉館後的仰望星斗，為一天的生活落下帷幕。接著公車右轉後沿著中華路直行，而這一帶，正是我自幼長大的地方，公車不疾不徐地前進，望向窗外，宛若看見在昏黃路燈下，大啖肉燥飯和鮮魚湯的家父與我。

公車最終來到了目的地，輕軌夢時代站。憶起往昔高三放學時和友人們一同迎著夕陽，騎上「前鎮之星」橋，順著下坡飛速駛來，有說有笑的點點滴滴油然而生，沁人心脾。這段小巧的公車之旅，車窗彷彿布幕，沿途相伴的街景是生活的紀錄片，勾起滿滿回憶，而214號公車連結了這一段又一段美麗的舊時光。

如果說旅行是和自己的重逢，那麼高中生活之於我，就是更認識了自己，瞭解自己的「心意」。而開啟這扇大門的契機正是在高二時與貴人和恩師的相遇，當時就讀的班級正好是「二年14班」(214)!這趟公車之旅，似乎提醒著我:「莫忘初衷」。而我也依然記得我的初心:「當一個溫暖又有力量的人!」