At 3:19, the familiar bus approached.
Frank reduced his speed.
Before opening the entrance, he examined the sidewalk and checked his mirrors.
I understood those movements now.
The cautious look.
The brief hesitation.
Then the folding doors opened.
Ellie descended the steps.
“Mom!”
She hurried straight into my embrace.
Frank lifted one hand from the driver’s seat.
I raised my own hand.
“Thank you,” I called out.
He smiled gently.
It was a modest smile, almost concealed beneath his silver-gray mustache.
“See you Monday, Ellie.”
“Goodbye, Mr. Lawson!”
The folding doors shut.
The bus continued along the street.
That evening, Ellie completed the card she’d been making.
She’d folded a sheet of construction paper and covered it with a yellow marker.
On the front, she’d drawn a school bus.
Four wheels rather than six.
Windows that weren’t perfectly aligned.
And a small gray-haired stick figure sitting behind the wheel.
