I thought after a few weeks of school all of the kinks would be worked out, but I found out I was wrong about that last week.
Every day since my son Matthew, 5, started kindergarten, I have waited for him in the afternoons at his bus stop.
I was doing the same last Wednesday afternoon, when I saw my neighbor’s daughters get off the bus, but no Matthew. I walked up to the driver, who was yet again a different person, and asked where Matthew Thompson was.
She looked at the bus driver aide who checked the bus before saying he wasn’t on there.
“What do you mean my son is not on the bus?” I said.
At this point, I got on the bus to see for myself. They quickly told me all of the kindergarteners sit in the front of the bus, but she checked the back and looked under the seats also while calling his name.
I looked around the bus and didn’t see my Matthew.
I started to panic a little bit as the feeling of dread and worry started to creep up.
The bus driver quickly got on the bus’ CB radio to call dispatch and find out if another bus had Matthew.
No one seemed to know where my Matthew was, and I was getting more and more worried. Minutes seemed like an eternity as the bus driver continued communications to figure out where my son was.
Since there was a lot of cross talk taking place on the CB radio, she picked up her cellphone and called the school to see if they could talk to Matthew’s teacher or teacher’s aide and find out what bus they put him on.
It turns out Matthew’s teacher had accidentally put him on Bus 69 instead of Bus 6. As soon as my bus driver heard that, she contacted Bus 69 and asked the driver to stop the bus and look for a Matthew Thompson. She described my son as “a very shy boy with blond hair.”
I was just saying a prayer to myself that my Matthew was indeed on this bus; and I am not sure if I even breathed while I waited for a response.
One came. “Yes, he is on the bus.”
The bus driver of Bus 69 said he could drop Matthew off after he finished his regular route.
This upset my bus driver. She said he is a kindergartener who is probably scared; and the mother is worried. She asked where he was at and told that bus driver to stay put.
She then told me she was going to head right over there; pick up my son and drop him back off at the front of my house.
It seemed like forever, but it was only about 10 minutes and Matthew’s bus was back.
As he got off the bus I could see how upset he was. He grabbed my hand and started to cry, which really upset me. I thanked the bus driver for all of her help and took Matthew into the house. He felt like it was all his fault; and I told him that is was not all of his fault. A kindergartener should not be expected to remember their bus number since it just changed that week.
Originally, he rode Bus 41, but they switched it last week to Bus 6. It is confusing enough without the bus number change.
I was just happy to have my son at home in my arms even if he was upset.
We had barely got him settled down, when my phone rang.
It was his teacher. She was calling to make sure Matthew was home and to apologize for putting him on the wrong bus.
I told her I forgave her; and that mistakes happen, but at the same time I was still a little upset.
She asked how he was doing and I said he was upset and crying. She apologized again; and explained how crazy the day was. I told her he will get over it in a few days.
The next morning, when Bus 13 came to pick him up; and yes, it is a different bus number than the one in the afternoons, he had a death grip on my hand. I told him he would be fine and the bus driver would make sure he got to school.
The morning bus driver just picks up kindergarten students in front of their homes, which I love. She is friendly and already knows Matthew’s name.
On Thursday afternoon I was once again at the corner waiting for Matthew to come home. This time he was on the bus; and the bus driver’s assistant made sure he got off first.
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