12 November 2023, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2218: the last bus driver

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

“He's the last bus driver at the end of the road
Just got called to be a hero, gotta carry that load ...”

Eleven-year-old Velma Trent handed her best friend eleven-year-old Eleanor Ludlow a Kleenex, and then got one out of the box for herself.

“I see why country music makes people cry now,” Velma said.

“Yes,” Eleanor said, “because if you know, you know.”

Someone's car had broken down just off the cul-de-sac on the road, and Col. H.F. Lee, Sgt. Vincent Trent, and big brother Melvin Trent had put on their masks and gone out to help without even a moment's hesitation, and the song was playing while they were getting work in, with each of the three men rotating their work to keep an eye on the two houses on the cul-de-sac.

“Dad and Melvin have gotten us through so much stuff,” Velma said.

“Yeah, and Papa and Cousin Harry over on my side,” Eleanor said.

“Nobody asked for any of this, but they just keep going,” Velma said.

“Well, but I don't know about that part, though,” Eleanor said. “Papa once explained this to my dad, but my dad wasn't trying to hear it and we know what happened: if you put a wedding ring on a woman's finger, or lay down next to her to make love, you did ask for all that happens next. If you sign up to serve your country, you signed up for everything that goes with that. I think because people are out here dropping the ball so much that we just don't even realize that those are balls they picked up themselves.”

“Because they act like they don't care – got it,” Velma said. “I haven't been through it, but you have, and I have a ton of Trent cousins who have too. Only the Jubilee-of-the-mountain and Stepforth cousins are doing well.”

“I don't really know my mother's family at all,” Eleanor said, “because they couldn't be bothered, and Papa keeps us away from most of the Ludlows and all of the Slocum-Bollings, and you know that branch of the family was cool with having him see a murder when he was Lil' Robert's age, so I'm good on all that – but the Lees-of-the-mountain seem to be doing well, except the story goes that Cousin Harry's father was kind of a mess and Cousin Harry has a whole bunch of siblings and nieces and nephews out there he's trying to find, and then there's a whole situation happening in which a whole bunch of his men have lost their wives … it's a mess out here.”

“A lot of the people are at the end of the road out here, and that's where some kids even start,” Velma said. “Thank God He has some bus drivers and driverettes down there!”

“Yep … can't forget the work Grandma, Cousin Maggie, your big sister Vanna, and your mom are all doing,” Eleanor said. “I admire your mom so much … we know she is going through it but she keeps getting up, doing her work on herself, and being sweet to everyone.”

“Yep,” Velma said. “Mom is a hero too, but the battle is inside, and she's winning. She's doing so much better and really leveled off now … it's hard, but she's doing this thing!”

“I wish my parents had,” Eleanor said, “but as Andrew and I say all the time, God made sure we had the real parents we need in our grandparents, and Cousin Harry and Cousin Maggie make some great uncle-aunt action happen. We have and we're always going to have what we need, because God just doesn't make mistakes.

Velma just reached out and hugged her best friend as the last line of the chorus of the song playing on the radio from the now-repaired car reached them.

“I'm shocked that we made it, and I still can't say how,
But that bus driver's driving, and we're on our way now.”