Friday, June 21, 2013

How Did You Start Your Summer?


Back in September, I shared about the first day of school and my job as a school bus driver for a local school district. Things have greatly improved since that first day. I know my way around the district much better. I don’t get lost as much, and I get the right kids to the right schools at the right times more often. 


As a substitute bus driver, I get a variety of different runs and rarely have the same bus two days in a row. It is great to meet and greet some amazing young people.


Although there was the one time when the dispatcher called me on the radio at 7:30 in the morning and asked when I was going to be at a certain stop. I radioed back succinctly, “6:50”


There was silence. Then a strained voice squeaked from the radio’s speaker, “6:50? But it is 7:30 now.That was 40 minutes ago.” I replied that I was supposed to be at the stop at 6:50, and I had indeed been there at 6:50. I had stopped the bus, opened the doors, looked at the crowd of 15 or so students standing on the corner, and not one of those students got on the bus.


“No one got on the bus?” asked the dispatcher.


“Not a one,” I replied. Apparently, three different buses stop at that corner to pick up students for various schools, but I am still not sure why none of them wanted to ride with me. Am I that scary looking?


The dispatcher quickly got things sorted out and I continued on my run without returning to pick up the students who missed their bus.



On the last day of school this year, I was driving down a street with a stop at the very end.  As I threaded that 39 foot beast between two illegally parked cars I noticed two students leave the stop and run towards their houses. 


When I got to the stop one of the remaining students asked me if I could wait for her brother, who had to run home to retrieve a forgotten item. Being the last day of school and running a little ahead of schedule, I waited.


When the last straggler was on the bus, I closed the door and put on my grumpy father face. I glared into the mirror above my head and announced sternly, “Alright folks, I didn’t mind waiting too much today, but tomorrow you better be here on time because I will not wait for you!”


Everyone on the bus became silent, until one young lady, apprehensively spoke up, “But Mr. Bus driver, today is the last day of school.”


I grinned gave the mirror a big thumbs up and said, “You got that right! Guess we don’t have to worry about tomorrow then.”


And that began my summer break. How did yours start?

3 comments:

  1. Ok call me dumb, but I didn't understand the story about the 6:50 and the kids not getting on the bus. lol Explain?

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    Replies
    1. I rewrote that section. Changed a few tenses and added a wee bit more info. Does it make sense now?

      I tell these stories to see how they work and then give my blog to the same group of people to proof and get feedback from, they already knew the story so didn't find it confusing.

      Thanks for pointing it out.

      Delete
  2. Oh no problem. So did they figure out why no one got on the bus? lol

    ReplyDelete