I sat on my front porch waiting, checking the time repeatedly. 3:04, 3:07, 3:10. The bus should be here any minute, I thought impatiently. I stared at the street ahead of me, anticipating a large yellow vehicle rolling around the corner. That’s when it came. A small yellow school bus slowly pulled around the corner towards my house. Though it seemed suspicious, I quickly looked down at my phone realizing it wasn’t the bus I was waiting for. Then, all of a sudden, I heard someone faintly call my name. I peered up from my phone to address the unknown caller. It was the man driving the small school bus, who was now parked outside my house with his doors wide open.
My front lawn was long so he was good distance away from me and the sun was bright so it was hard to make out his face. “Yes?” I called back wearily. I saw the expression on his face change slightly as he heard the cold questioning tone of my voice. “Do you know who this is?” He asked. I could hear the hope and slight strain in his voice. I mimicked a visor with my hand to shade my eyes from the sun; I squinted hard to get a better look at the man’s face. That’s when it hit me; I did know who this was. My eyes widened, my hand lowered, and my feet began to fly as they recognized the man before my mouth could. “Hudy!” I screamed in disbelief. It came out more as a question than a statement but I knew it was him it was Hudy.
Within seconds, I was standing only a few steps away from him. I peered up at him beaming a grin born from excitement. He took a moment to look at me up and down trying to see the resemblance between me and the little girl he last saw eight years ago. “Wow you’ve really grown up,” he uttered. “Yah,” was all I knew how to respond. “How are you?” we both asked, we laughed then answered the same time again: “Good.” “Are you out of school yet?” I assured him I was still in high school but that it was my senior year, he leaned back in seat as he analyzed what I had just said. During this short moment of silence I noticed figures through the slightly tinted windows of the bus. One lady in the front I could see was smiling clearly content with getting to enjoy this reunion from the sidelines. My attention was diverted back to Hudy as I saw him pull out a laminated piece of construction paper. “Do you remember this?” He smiled with hope as he passed the paper to me. As I looked at the paper tears welled up inside my eyes. It was a picture I drew in elementary school of me in front of a yellow school bus, with the words written at the top in purple marker and swirly lettering “To: Hudy, Love: Rachael.” I stared at the picture some more taking in every detail as all the memories came flooding back to me. I remember making this picture and I also remember giving it to him. He looked over joyed the day I gave it to him and he hung it high up on the bus where everyone could see it, it stayed up there all the years I boarded that bus. I couldn’t believe it after all these years he still had it. There wasn’t a stain or tear on it, he took care of it, he treasured it.
Our time was cut short when I heard a bellowing noise gradually grow louder, then a large yellow school bus pulled around the corner and made its way down my street. Hudy could tell I had to go and even so the passengers on his bus were starting to get a little impatient as well. I handed him the picture back as we said our farewells, then he closed his doors and drove away. I started walking towards the bus stop, the same one I had been going to since elementary school. I stood in front of the park entrance where the bus pulled up and opened its doors to release its giddy passengers. For a moment I saw her, hands holding both straps of her back pack. Her outfit head to toe in sparkle, with a head band to match of course. Her curly unruly hair cascaded onto her shoulders and backpack, sneakers worn from a long day of play. She smiled at me then looked back and smiled at him. They waved to each other goodbye as she hoped of the bus and went to hug her mom.
“Hi, Rachael!” Julia squealed as she hugged me tight. I hugged her back and fixed her long black straight hair behind her ear, “Did you have a good day at school?” She beamed at me giving me all the answer I needed. I looked up to a tired woman slouching at the wheel, as she waited for all the children to descend the steps and make their way to their parents. I bent down to Julia and said softly, “Juls, don’t forget to thank your bus driver and wave goodbye.” She turned to the slouching tired lady and waved while smiling and yelling,“Thank you, goodbye!” The woman’s posture and expression changed immediately as she noticed Julia and waved back smiling. I watched taking in the moment, so much has changed, yet at the same time everything is the same.
