There's no excuse!

Chad and I took the girls out to run errands yesterday morning and were watching the clock the whole time in order to make it back for Nathan's bus. Had we known the future, we would have saved our energy!

Here's the story:

School lets out at 11 am. We expect him to be dropped off about 20 minutes after that. I have been going out to the corner to wait and walk him home. I've been expecting that this would not be a permanent arrangement. (There are things I can be doing instead of standing on the street corner!)

Yesterday, I was under a pile of yarn that I was about to roll into a ball, so I thought Nathan could walk himself in. By 11:30, still no Nathan. I finished my ball and got up to call a friend. Her kindergartner hadn't arrived yet either. OK then, something must have slowed the bus down.

I called the school. The bus left on time and there haven't been any reports of problems. I called another mother. Now it's 11:40. Her kindergartner has been home for 20 minutes. What?? Within 3 consecutive stops, only the middle student made it home?

In between my calls back and forth with the school and moms, I've been calling the "Bus Barn." I made 4 calls and got the answering machine 4 times. I finally left a message. But there still was the problem of the missing children. I called the school back and pestered them for a cell phone number of the guy at the bus barn. He went out and got on the radio.

The bus driver was a sub. (Excuse? Maybe, but a weak one.) I could hear a lot of the conversation. He thought he'd dropped them off. (REALLY??? WHERE???) Now I'm picturing Nathan wandering around some strange neighborhood. I'm hoping that the two of them are wandering together, at least!

More overheard conversation. He's still got them on the bus. Huh??? He's now PICKING UP kids. By this time, PM kindergarten has started (it starts at 11:45) so maybe these are preschool kids. He didn't notice that he still had some old riders when he started getting new ones? Nathan and his little friend are very quiet and likely would not have said anything. They might not have even been visible back there in the seats. (Excuse? Possibly, but still weak.) I wouldn't have been surprised if they got off at the school again and wondered what was going on.

I'm now asking where I can meet the bus to retrieve these children. Since it's currently on the other side of town at a place I've never heard of, I'm not real sure of meeting it there. Maybe at the school? They tell me to come to the Bus Barn and they'll be there.

When I arrived, some lady was waiting with them. She immediately began making excuses. (Something about a kid with a bloody nose.) There were no apologies. In my opinion, if you can't handle a little bloody nose and still deliver a bus load of children safely, you're moonlighting in the WRONG job. What if something more serious were to happen?

I loaded Nathan and his friend into the van at 12:10...70 minutes after school was released. When I questioned them, they both said that the bus didn't stop at their stops. So I counseled them to stand up and yell at the driver if that ever happened again. Poor, confused 5-year-olds. We are always telling them to be polite to grown-ups and now I'm telling them to yell at them. I wish I could !

I'll be standing at the corner, for sure, this morning. If that bus doesn't stop, lots of people will hear me yelling!