The Little Blonde Cutie...

I remember one day during my first week driving this little blonde cutie was all over the place. I could barely see her head over the seat, when she was sitting... she did NOT like sitting! She was up and down, around the seats, in the aisle, disappeared (under the seat???), then she hopped over the seat. All this time I kept saying "SIT DOWN"... maybe she thought I wasn't talking to her.

I stopped the bus, for my first time, called her up front and told her she needed to stay sitting on her bottom because she could get hurt otherwise. That lasted for about 15 seconds... I stopped again, turned off the bus, got out of my seat and walked back to third seat where she was hopping around. I leaned over her and said "WHAT IS YOUR NAME?" A scared little girl looks up at me with wide eyes and says "Allie". With my voice still raised, I say "ALLIE, DO YOU WANT ME TO TELL YOUR DAD THAT YOU DON'T SIT DOWN ON THE BUS?" wide eyes and no reply... "DO YOU?" nothing "WELL, DO YOU?" with her eyes as wide as can be she manages to shake her head... so I say "well then sit on your bottom like I told you".

She didn't move the rest of the ride... dad must be pretty scary!

The next morning she gets on and I tell her to sit "right here" as I point to the first seat. She was good as gold and I even got a hug when she got off my bus :)

Allie sat right in that front seat the whole year and I never had another problem with her, and I can't even tell you how many hugs I got from her. She would get on in the afternoon and tell me about her day before we left, she was all smiles, all giggles, and all sweet and loving. I had the pleasure of her presence on my bus for a couple of years, they have since moved out of district, but every time I drive past that empty house I think of the little blonde cutie.