Herb the Bus Driver

Herb shook as the bus back fired again. The bus was 34 years old but Herb knew if he gave it enough TLC he could get it to run for another 5 years. He pushed the side window open with both hands and leaned out the window.

"Come on, Bessie! Push a little harder. I have to pick up the children for school. I can't be late!"

Herb leaned back in and shoved the gas pedal to the floor. The bus backed fired two more times, jerked forward, and began its gentle slid down the steep hill.

"Come on bussy," Herb whispered guiding the bus away from the on coming trees. "I know. I didn't want to get up this morning either. I would have liked to stay under the covers. But come on, once we start the day it won't be so bad."

The bus's engine started to roar to life. Herb celebrated as he coasted out onto the busy street. The horns of the on coming cars didn't bother him. He was use to it and rather enjoyed the sound. He gently pressed down the gas and the bus chugged down the street heading for its first stop. Herb was excited until...

"You forgot your scones," Bessie yelled from the top of the hill.

Herb swore and swerved the bus back between the lines. A few more honks filled the air.

Herb and the bus crested the hill before the town square. Herb grimaced when he saw the first child he had to pick up. He slid the bus in front of the child and prayed the bus would go again after the stop.

Herb tried to open the door but it was stuck. The little blonde haired boy stared up at the driver. Herb pulled harder on the handle but the door was stuck. The little blonde haired boy banged on the door.

"Ain't you gonna let me in?" The little boy asked, "I got lots of stories to tell you."

Herb yanked the handle one more time and wished for his forgotten scones. The door jerked open and the little blonde haired boy climbed aboard. He took his seat behind Herb.

"So, when I got of the bus last Friday I went into my house to find my pet lizard. You remember me telling you about my pet lizard Thomas. Well, he wasn't in his cage. It was a glass cage my father and I built together like three summers ago. I searched my room and I thought my mommy was going to yell at me..."

Herb closed the bus doors. Only 28 more children to go. The bus jerked once, twice and then Herb pulled out into the on coming traffic to more honks.

"It turns out my father had come home early from work and had taken him to get him a bigger cage because they were buying me another lizard. I named the new one Thomas 2 until Mommy told me that it was a girl. So, I changed the name to Tammy."

Herb groaned wishing for some scones.

"Then I was watching TV. I saw this cartoon where..."

Herb turned at the town square and the smell of the fresh baked scones from the town's bakery filled the air. He made a promise to himself to come back after his dropping the children off. He checked his watch as he went over the train tracks. Twenty minutes until he picked up the last child then 10 more minutes until school. He'd be at that bakery by 7:47 am. Herb smiled to himself as he thought of the time. He missed being an airline pilot but since retiring driving the bus filled the void.

Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo...

"VIOLET!!!"

The porcelain pug dogs on the fourteen-year-old girl's headboard shook from the force of the shout.

"GET DOWN HERE!"

Violet groaned, then pushed herself up out of bed. She brushed a shiny purple lock of hair from out of her eyes and squinted in the bright sun coming through her blinds. It couldn't be as late as she thought it was...

"HURRY UP! THESE SCONES ARE GETTING COLD AND YOU'RE GOING TO MISS THE BUS!"

Violet groaned once more, pushed the rumpled covers off of her legs, and swung herself around, putting her feet on the floor. She yawned, stretched, and stood up. She noticed her "Purple Brigade" pyjamas were starting to get a little tight. Well she had grown a few inches over the summer, she thought, and these are a few years old. She grabbed the handle to her lavender-colored bedroom door --

-- and the door flung open, and a middle-aged women in a smart business suit stared down at Violet.

"YOUNG LADY! FOR THE LAST TIME, GET DOWNSTAIRS!"

A pug dog fell gently onto Violet's unfluffed pillow.

"Mom, geez, I'm coming, I'm coming..."

Violet's mom grabbed Violet by the arm and tugged her through the door and down the stairs. Family portraits whizzed by in a blur. The two stepped onto the landing and turned into the smart-looking kitchen. A plate of scones sits on the counter, with two scones sitting in the center and crumbs dotting the rest of the surface. Violet walked up to the round kitchen table, plopped down, and her mom put the plate in front of Violet.

"Eat, eat! Then take a quick shower and...oh, you're still wearing *those*?"

Violet scrunched her eyebrows. "Yes, I'm still wearing 'those'. You know I like 'those'."

Violet's mom sighs. "Fine, fine, whatever. Just eat! The bus will be here in twenty minutes! And I'm not driving you to school again!" She goes over to the counter and flips open her smartly-designed laptop, tapping at the keyboard and concentrating heavily.

Violet eats the scones. They were cold. Nothing was worse than a cold scone. Well, OK, there was one thing worse...but she didn't like to think about it. She forced the scones down, which without milk is nearly impossible, and trudged upstairs to her room to get her clothes for the day.