Bus Ride Home

The bus ride home really pissed me off, but before we get to that, it's 3am and I just woke up.  WTF?  There were 3 teenage boys in my house when I got home from work and after dinner Evan said to me "Mom, go  upstairs!  We want to have a war!"

Their "war" involves shooting each other with the many nerf guns around the house as well as popping each other with hand grenades (ping pong balls).  Of course war isn't war unless all the lights are turned off and it's pitch black, so I was more than happy to head upstairs to watch a little TV, but I didn't see much of that.  I must've fallen asleep almost immediately and now it's 3am.  Wow.  Where did the night go?

The bus ride......

I was seated in my usual seat at the very back of the bus in the corner, reading my book.  I never chat or socialize on the bus although the faces are always the same.  I just like to read my book in peace and quiet.  So we are like halfway home and the bus stops to pick up a couple of boys;  two black boys in catholic school uniforms who seem to be about 11 & 13 years old.  I'm reading my book, when all of a sudden I hear the bus driver screaming at the top of his lungs, at them.  Then I hear the older boy say "You can't talk to me like that" very quietly.

The bus driver says that yes he can talk to him that way.  Then he yells "I'm sick of you kids.  Tell your parents to put more money on your charlie card."  "You" he says pointing to the older boy, "Get off the bus until you get more money".

WTF?

I missed the beginning of this, but he's kicked the 13yr old off the bus?  And leaving the younger kid on the bus all by himself?  It's like 5:30pm and these boys are just trying to get home from school.

Mama Josie exploded.

I was on the very last seat of the bus and the older boy was standing on the curb at the point.

I yell.  "Wait!!!!!" And get my ass to the front of the bus, clutching a bunch of ones.  It's an express bus that goes directly to/from Boston so it's pricier than a usual bus and I have no idea how much they owe, but I am not going to let this happen.

I get to the front and tell the boy on the curb to get back on.  Then I ask the bus driver how much the boy owes.

$1.00.

"That's it?" I ask incredulously.

"Yeah, he had enough money on his charlie card for the other kid, but he's short a buck for himself".

So this guy was going to leave the kid on the curb with no way to get home, even though the kid already paid for more than half his fare (and now has no money).  WTF is wrong with people?

Then the bus driver tells me it's his parents problem to refill his charlie card, not mine.

Yeah, I say, but that could've been my son trying to get home. (not that sugar bear has ever taken a bus alone but whatev)  I mean, his mom prolly had no idea there wasn't enough money on his charlie card.  It's so hard to keep track of. (I have a different kind of card, where it costs $89 per month for unlimited rides, that work pays for)

So in the end, the boys rode the bus ride home together.  It really upsets me that all those other people on the bus, who were sitting right up close and personal to all the action never bothered to help the kids out.

When I get nervous, upset, stressed, I get these red big red itchy hives, usually on my chest.  By the time I got off the bus, I could feel them burning up my chest and arms.  Ugh.  As I write this I can feel them creeping back.  I hate them!!!!!

Now it's 3:30am and I'm wide awake, with itching hives (from retelling this story) and a pain in the neck, which I've had all week.  :( 

TV or reading?  Hmmmmmm

Josie