The alarm clock buzzes. In desperation, my hand searches through the darkness. Squinting my eyes, the lumpy forms in the bedroom take on identity. Husband. Cat. Bathrobe. Yawning, stretching, I scuff my way down the stairs. O dark thirty is not my best time of the day.
The first sip of coffee is a holy thing. Reverently I bring the cup to my lips. I stand at the kitchen window, peering out, wondering what picturesque scene will be revealed upon daybreak. I look harder. The realization that we have snow brings a gasp of delight. It never fails to surprise me, even if it was predicted. Ignoring for the moment that I will soon be required to drive in it, I slip open the sliding glass door and let the sting of icy air greet me.
I live close enough to work to walk, even in snowy weather. It is the school bus I drive that will require careful maneuverings. The main roads will be wet and slushy. The narrow roads winding through housing developments are the trickier parts.
I drive for nearly 20 minutes through rural country side before I depart the highway and meander into the sub-division where my bus route truly begins. Weak light has barely penetrated the morning. The snow is coming down in earnest now, coating the roads with thick powder. White knuckled, I press on.
My Jr High students are charged with energy excited by the weather. The older ones barely register my presence, let alone the snow that is piling up. Without taking my eyes off the road, I remind the boisterous ones to please quiet down. The last stop on my route is at the corner market where I pick up six or seven passengers. I brake and assess my situation as they load the bus.
For I have now reached the crucible of my journey. The Hill. As in Down. As in Covered In Snow.
A small compact pulls out from the driveway to the right of me ready to descend. I watch in horror as the car immediately skids sideways, then fishtails onto the main road, barely missing a truck preparing to turn up.
At that precise moment my bus phone rings. It is Sally, the bus garage secretary, calling for an update on weather in my location. I take this opportunity to fill her in on the challenge that lies before me, alerting her to the fact that I will be late as it looks like snow chains are warranted. She admonishes me to be careful and let them know if I need assistance.
Turning the bus engine off gets my passengers attention and I announce there will be a delay as I will need to put on snow chains. I speak calmly and with authority but in reality a knot has formed in my stomach. I know something no one else is aware of.
I have never put on snow chains in my life.
Of course I was taught this in bus driver training. But pretending to put on chains in a dry warm bus garage is a heck of a lot different than kneeling in snow and wrestling with chains while being ever mindful of my charges on the bus. I murmur a prayer.
One of my high schoolers pokes his head out the bus door and asks if I want-- need-- help. I never expected this quiet senior to come to my rescue. Working together we get one side on. Before I can move to the other side, another student yells that my bus phone is ringing. I slip and slide my way back onto the bus, snatching up the phone breathlessly. My boss bellows instructions: the snow is coming down in full force, school is being called off, turn around and take my students home.
I look around my bus. With the exception of one sleepy headed 7th grader, it is empty. While I have struggled with the chains, my students have wandered over to the corner market! When I holler that school has been canceled they take off, shouting with celebration. They are gone before I can finish telling them that I need to drive them home. I sink down in my bus seat with a groan. This is not going to go over well with my boss. A tap on my bus door snaps me to attention. The smiling face of the store clerk greets me.
"Want some coffee Miss?”
"You bet!” I enthuse.
He asks if I take anything in it.
Whiskey I think. “Cream please.”
I think I will just sit and savor the unexpected treat before I continue my merry journey through this winter-wonderland.
