The Fellas, known as “Tommy and Otis,” and I went for a drive this afternoon. Tommy and Otis, also known as “The Dawgs,” were excited to take the drive.
After 4:15 pm, I got behind a School Bus that was bringing kids home from School, and I decided to slowly follow along and watch the kids’ reactions as they each got off the bus.
I know I was always excited to get off the bus. It meant my day was starting for real. I could be the Kid that I was. I’m sure I was smiling every time I got off the bus. Well, except that one time, I was supposed to fight with another kid after I got off the bus. That’s another story for another time.
Today, I wanted to see the reactions of today’s kids as they got off the School Bus.
I slowly followed behind.
The first stop was a little girl.
I could see the toes of her shoes as she got ready to take the final step off the bus and onto the Earth.
She jumped from the last step and landed on the Earth like she had taken the first steps onto the Moon.
On the driveway was her Dawg.
He had been patiently sitting and waiting for his Kid to arrive.
You could tell he knew her Schedule.
After she jumped onto the ground, she did two quick Somersaults.
Then she turns onto her back and walks with her hands and feet while looking up towards the sky.
Her Dawg, excitedly wagging his tail, licks the girl on her face as she does this “walk.”
The bus drives on, and I slowly follow.
On up the road, about 100 yards from the last stop, the bus stops again.
I stop and watch.
Two boys, probably Brothers, run off the bus at full speed.
The older boy stops and points at something in the trees.
His brother, who is following behind, stops and looks at what the older brother is pointing at.
I look into the trees myself to see a Squirrel jumping from limb to limb like an acrobat as it plays. They point and smile.
The bus drives on, and I slowly follow.
At the next stop, a Father is raking leaves into a fire he has built.
This neighborhood has had a good bit of rain over the past two weeks, and I’ve seen a lot of burning today. I like the smell of it, and I take a big whiff in.
A boy jumps off the bus, the Father throws down his rake, and the two meet for a big hug. The Father lifts the boy off the ground and swings his Kid around in a circle as they hug.
I smile, look at Tommy, and say, “That’s his Hero.”
The bus drives on, and I follow.
I soon realized that all the kids had been dropped off, and it was now the bus driver’s turn to relax and unwind.
The bus turned onto Highway 160, and I headed back through the neighborhood.
On my way home, I see a Kid in his yard squatting beside his Father, who is changing a tire on his truck, and his Son holds the tools for his Father. Their Dawg lays there watching.
There’s nothing like getting home from School when you’re a Kid.
