Friday, June 10, 2005

Once

Once, when I was about 9 years old I lived in an old rickety house on the outskirts of town.The regular school bus didn't drive out that far so I had to get to school the only way. I had to take the short bus to school , the special bus as they called it.
The bus driver was this kid barely out of high school, named Cowboy, not sure if this was a name that his own friends made up for him or if it was a name he adopted himself due to his dusty wrangler jeans and cowboy hat he wore at a lazy angle on his head.
Sometimes, when I was running late. I would have to run down the long dirt road you could plainly see from the road.He would sit with the bus doors open as I struggled under the weight of my books, running full speed. Just as I was about to reach the end, out of breath , feet bloody with blisters. He would close the door and drive away. I swear I could see him laughing and waving as he drove away. I wasn't like all the other kids on the bus but most times I felt a camaraderie with them. Always at the mercy of his less then suitable driving skills, flask in hand most times. Threatening to run us off the road into the river.Yelling to us that
"You're all a little evil, no one would miss you if you were gone"
One day, again running late I raced for the bus as I saw it approach.Determined to beat it to the stop. The bus stopped , opened it's doors and I just gave up and walked and it waited till I reached it. It had waited. I stepped up the steps and to my surprise there sat a lady...Where had cowboy gone... I learned years later he had been fired, gotten a job at the local Country market.Where one night as he was opening boxes of Cream of Mushroom soup.He placed the box cutter on the top shelf where it tittered and fell cutting into his eye.Good old one eyed cowboy..everyone's a little evil. I wonder if anyone misses him?

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