I am a spare bus driver, so it can often be a rare event for me to have the same route for several days in a row. On this particular route, things started to get interesting.
The most enjoyable times as a bus driver are those with elementary kids. The bus is full of laughter, conversation, and even playing. The kids can get fully involved in what they are doing, and eavesdropping on this is part of the joy of the job.
I am driving on my route. The kids are all chatting away, and it has a pleasant calmness.
“YOU SMACKED MY BUM!” the shrill voice of a girl rings over the other kids.
Oh, oh. Am I going to have to get involved? Are they going to start fighting? Do I have to stop the bus and separate these children?
“NOW, we have to get married,” continued the girl.
Whoa! I was not expecting this. I know a ship’s captain has the authority to marry people, but does this also apply to me as a bus driver?
The boy stammered in his response to the consequences of his action on this girl. He was as dumbfounded as the rest of the group. The girl steered the group and her new fiance on the topic of weddings. For the rest of the ride, they eagerly talked of marriage.
The conversation for the next three days continued on these subjects. What type of wedding should this girl have with the boy? What would marriage be like for different celebrities and even fictional people? The marriage of various Mario characters from Nintendo games was a heated topic.
On the fourth day, I was reassigned to a different run. Questions remained unanswered: Are they still getting married? Would a marriage between Princess Peach and Bowser be as magical as they hoped? Will I be officiating the marriage of these children?
It is the one drawback to being a spare bus driver: I never know what happens next in these kids’ lives. I do hope I get invited, though.
