The Bus Ride Home
Welcome all to another stroll down memory lane. Don't forget to wear your boots because I haven't shoveled it lately.
When I was in Middle school, I rode the bus to and from school. To school wasn't too bad because it was only about 25-35 minutes. Coming home was another matter. It took over an hour, an hour and and a half in the winter. We got out of school at 2:30 PM. It was close to 4PM when I walked through the door.
Our bus driver was nothing like the bus driver you see on TV. There were no screaming kids, no kids jumping around, and nothing flying through the air. When Ruby told you to do something, you didn't make her ask again. The bus drivers of our school district ruled with an iron fist. If they said you made trouble, you had to find another way to school, no questions asked.
Being a Middle Schooler, we had to sit closer to the front of the bus than the High Schoolers. Any "little kid" who dared venture where they didn't belong got thumped. This was done while watching Ruby's eyes closely in the mirror. When her eyes fell onto the road from the mirror, thump. I got thumped a few times.
During winter, it was a white knuckle ride. The back roads that made up the route weren't always laid out as the crow flies. I felt the rear of the bus slide several times during the ride. When this happened, Ruby would holler "QUIET!",and you could hear a pin drop. I found that I'm the same way. When it's bad, I don't like to be distracted.
We had several varsity football player who rode our bus. They were as old or older than my brother, but they had gotten in trouble for a party they were at and were forced to ride the bus by their parents. They weren't very nice because they didn't want to be there.
My brother very rarely rode the bus. Once he got his drivers licence, he drove his Pinto to school. Only when Mom & Dad had caught him skipping school did they bust him, and take his car away. He wasn't happy about being on the bus either.
Did ever have the joy of riding a school bus during the winter?
1 comment:
Yes, I've had the joy of riding the bus in the winter, while freezing to death,, with one little heater expected to heat the bus from front to back. Brrrr!! And the seats would be cold and air would leak in through the windows. Talk about some miserable rides home!
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