This Afternoon

I know it sounds odd, but I like my job driving a school bus. Except for days like today.

The sleet started falling about noon. I called the transportation office twice to see if they were going to let school out early. They told me to keep my radio on. Sigh.

I got to the bus early anyway and it's a good thing I did. I had no sooner started it, than my supervisor called to tell me they were letting school out early. Am I psychic or what?

There were wrecks everywhere. I don't know what it is that makes people want to go out and drive in ice and snow just for the heck of it. Traffic was horrible and our buses were banned from driving on the interstate. Just as well though. The few times I passed over or under the interstate, nobody was driving. They were all sitting still.

It usually takes me about twenty minutes to get to my first stop. Today it took an hour and fifteen minutes. It would have taken longer, but for my knowledge of the backroads and shortcuts. The Music Man calls me the Queen of the Obscure Backroads.

Only thirty-one rode the bus this afternoon. I guess the others were picked up by their parents. Hey, that's who all those people on the roads were: parents going to pick up their kids from school because they didn't trust the bus drivers to get them home safely.

I bet I got home before they did.