"HELLO, I'M YOUR BUS DRIVER, TOO!"

"HELLO, I'M YOUR BUS DRIVER, TOO!"

Laughing as he takes two steps onto the deck, darling hubby, local bus driver, says, "There's some kid out there who's missing his homework, hungry, and can't see where he's going."  And he chuckles at his own joke as he winks at me.

"I handed over -- to the bus barn secretary -- some homework papers, a lunch sack, and some glasses.    Those are just some of the things I found on the bus after I dropped the kids off and was about to sanitize the bus."  And he laughs again.

He has to sanitize the bus after each run which is about 4 times a day.  He's so glad to be back at work after an extended summer break due to coronavirus self-isolation.


In the days just before school started, he would call a parent to confirm rules and pick-up times.  He reminisced about last year when he went to pick up a girl and there were two younger ones behind the girl jumping up and down.  Though too young, they just all wanted to go to school!

#1.  "Hello, I'm your bus driver, #42, and I want to be sure you know that masks are required.  I see you have two children, not just one, going this year?  Will they be riding the bus?"

Parent:  "PLEASE!  Come get them!"

#2.  Leaving a message on a mother's voice mail, "Hello, I'm your daughter's bus driver, bus number 42.   I'm calling to remind you of the new rules.  One is there can only be one student per seat, and the other is everyone has to wear a face mask.  Please call me back at this number."

After darling hubby called her several more times without ever getting a return call he went in to report to his boss.  Boss says, "Well, I have the dad's number.  I'll call him." The dad answers and declares, "Just sit right there, she [the mother] WILL call!"

Settled!

#3.  Leaving yet another message, "Hello, I'm your bus driver again this year, #42.  Please give me a call for times and regulations.  Thank you."

This person never ever returned any of his calls.  I asked, "So what did you do?"

He says,  "I picked her up."
Surprised, I quizzed, "You picked her up?"

"Yep.  Driving my route I recognized her, she was standing on the side of the road."  He shrugs, "I stopped and picked her up!" then grins and chuckles.

With a hint of what's to come, his first story of this new school year is "She's a little doll.   She showed me her favorite picture on the screen of her notepad.  It was her cat.  "This is Pickles."

Hubby asks, "Does Pickles like pickles?" she shakes her head, "Ew, no",

And then there's today's story, "She's so young and sweet, but she tells things she ought not tell like "Dad and Emmy [stepmother] had a fight last night and she called him a horse's ass."

And we're off!  Off on another school-year of adventures like boys wandering seat to seat to visit, even with their masks on, and "No, the superintendents kids won't be riding the bus", and a big yellow school bus full of mislaid items.

Or were they?

"HELLO, I'M YOUR BUS DRIVER"

My hubby is not just a bus driver, he's a mediator, an up-lifter, and a counselor as you'll see by the conversations he had with just a few of his students' parents when contacting them about times and dates and logistics for picking up their children.

NOTE:  Things & names have been changed to protect the innocent, ha, ha,ha.

#1.  "My name is John.  I drive school bus #42.

I need to know if your child is riding the bus this year.

Masks are required and the kids will be assigned seats.

It's one child per seat except siblings can share a seat.

Normally I don’t do that to middle school and high school kids but assigned seats are mandatory this year."

"Do your kids get along?  Can I assign your two to the same seat?"

Father:  “Hell, no.  You have to separate them.”

John:  "That's an S beside their names -- “separate.”

#2.  "Hello, my name is John and I drive bus 42 for Heights School.

The big question of the day is will your children be riding the bus this year?

They have to wear a mask and be assigned a seat.  Siblings can share.  

Do they need seperated or will your two get along?"

Father:  "Oh, they WILL get along!  They WILL ride together!"

#3.  "Good afternoon, my name is John, I drive #42 school bus.

Your son rode last year, will he be riding again this year?

I hate to do this to him but I have to put him in an assigned seat.

Since he’s a sophomore I hate to assign him a seat but I have to play by the rules.

I'm trying to alleviate any fears.  No one else will be allowed in that seat.  Before the next run all surfaces will have to be cleaned."

"Yes.  Yes, ma'am.  Yes.  Thank you; enjoy your day, ma'am.  Bye.  Bye, ma'am."

#4.  "Hello, this is John, I drive school bus #42.

The million-dollar question is, will your daughter be riding our bus?

As it stands right now, on Tuesday I’ll be at your front door at 6:55 unless this covid makes another change.  Repeat that again, please, sir?

I hope so, too."

Father had said:  "I'm a professor and I hope to have students, too!"

#5.  "Hello, I'm John, your bus driver.  I drive #42.
According to my list, your second grade daughter will be riding our bus."

Parent:  "In April, she asked will school start soon.  In May, she asked will school start soon.   She asks every week!"

John:  "Bless her heart.  I hope she never looses that desire.
You're worried about the bus?  She might be a car rider?  If you or she is uncomfortable, you're not required to ride the bus."

"I’ll try to put her across from her best friend.  I’ll try to accommodate as best I can.

The seats will be disinfected after each run and in that seat she'll be the only one."

Parent:  "Be careful.  I appreciate what you do."

John:  "Well, thank you. I just want to eliminate some fears."

In an aside to me John says:  “She took it well. Her kid’s a good kid.  So far, so good, this is easy.”

Parent's still on the phone.  John had forgotten to disconnect:  "What?  Did you just call my kid skirqueasy?  What is that?  What're you calling her?  You're not calling her stir crazy, are you?"

#6.  "Hello,  I'm your bus driver, my name is John, and I drive bus number 42.

According to my list you have 2 kids riding my bus?  Is that correct?

No, you have 3!  Oka-a-a-a.

Of the 3 which 2 get along the best?  I can put two in 1 seat together."

"Well, hon, we have a problem if you say "None!"

*******

Me, full of curiosity:  "Are they concerned about their kids, or are they agreeable?  Do they argue with you?   Do they have questions and want to talk about it?"

John:  "LOL, they’re happy to get ‘em going!"

******

And my bus driver, nicknamed by his co-workers The Up-lifter, said at the tail end of his final call:

“Thanks for your time.  I would’ve done this 20 years ago if I’d known how much I enjoy it.

The kids are fun and well behaved.”

"Thank you very much.  Hopefully we’ll have a longer school year this year.  I'm glad to be your bus driver."