It was easy after them

As I went back to the barn this afternoon, it was raining to beat the band – really fuckin’ hard.  So hard in fact, that I rode the shuttle bus from the LDS parking lot down to the driver’s room.  I usually walk, and give myself enough time to smoke one last cigarette at the back gate before I go back to work.  The shuttle driver was surprised when I got on board his bus; we usually wave at each other as he drives by me walking, but with rain like that, I don’t need to smoke and get wet.

Did I mention that it’s COLD?  The snow level’s supposed to be down to a thousand feet tonight; my apartment sits at about 200, and most of my route covers low ground, but some of the district is in higher areas, to the east especially.  All the buses that run on that side have automatic, "On-Spot" chains in case they run into ice or snow, but my old 25 bus doesn’t.  I do have a set of tire chains for my bus, but you can bet I don’t want to have to use them.

Snow route paperwork was issued Monday, and of the three schools I service, the route changes for only one of them, the high school, which has steep hills approacing it.  No way do I want to tobagan my bus down one of those hills!  And with screaming kids aboard? 

Fair gives me nightmares, it does, imagining that!

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The rain did not let up before I drove out of the Transpo area and to the Elementary School, and I didn’t even get off or shut off the bus for very long there; it was so cold.  Of course, since I seat the kids myself (no free for all getting seats for them!) I did have to shut off the bus and put the keys in my pocket (it would be SOOO bad if some little kid started up my bus and crashed it into something, with me trapped in the back of the bus!)

By the time I had got them seated, where I wanted them, the other buses had started up and left (not unusual).  My kiddies were WILD today, and what with the heavy rain and the clouded windows, I was in no mood for any of their shit; in fact, I pulled over and shut off the engine to go back and "talk" to some kids who weren’t riding properly, ("seat to seat, back to back") and I will not be ignored.  No when I am responsible for their lives.  I took names and delivered stern warnings, and the bus got a little quieter for the last couple of block to their stops, but omg, even if it was raining so hard, I pulled into a back street and got out to smoke a cigarette anyway – god, what will I do when I quit?  I have about 20 minutes between them and my High School shuttle run from the Skills Center to "my" high school, so I have time to stop and smoke, and while before the Elementary run, I had thought I wouldn’t stop (cats hate to get wet, you know) I did anyway, just to get out of the bus for seven minutes.

The PA system on my bus has given up, so I couldn’t grab the mic and tell ’em to listen up and sit down, no, I had to shout at the top of my lungs to be heard, and even then…kids ignored me, so I pulled over and took names and made dire predictions for them.

Everything after them is easy. 

Usually.

I got my Skills Center kids and drove over to the high school and left my bus running to keep the heaters going and just sat in the driver’s seat, whereas I usually get out and chat with a couple of the other drivers.

Today was not the usual day at all.  Nine or ten buses serve the high school, and one of the lead buses wouldn’t start.  I was, today, the third bus from the end of the line, and we all had to back up and go out the way we came in.  No problem for me, I like backing the bus and making it do what I want it to, and (ok, I’m saying so myself) I’m pretty good at it.  I’ve got 57 high school kids aboard, and I backed the bus up, got it positioned to get into the out lane at the lower entrance, didn’t hit anything, and took us all home.  No problem.  (got a compliment from the driver in front of me, I made it look so smooth)

Heh.  I like this job.

Now, three hours later, it’s still raining hard.  The temperature is still dropping, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to wake up to snow.  I probably won’t, but I took the precaution of telling the kids where my stops will be if I have to run the snow route.

More of them than usual thanked me for the ride home; I think I scored some points with them with my effortless backing up at their school – I made it look Easy.

Have I ever mentioned that I think I’m a very good driver?  I do.  I am.  Well, excepting driving my car so drunk I crashed it in 98, I am.  But, that was over nine years ago, and that will not be done again, so yeah, I can say it and have it be true – I am a very good driver.

Besides, EVERYTHING’S easy after the Elementary School kids!

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