Wednesday, October 13, 2004
THE WHEELS ON THE BUS
We were standing in the driveway, The Things and I, waiting for the school bus.
I saw it round the corner. "Here comes the bus," I said brightly.
Without a good-bye or a backwards glance The Things charged up the driveway.
"Me first," said T1.
"No. My turn," said T2.
When the bus door opened they charged and stuck, cartoonlike, shoulder to shoulder, backpacks swinging.
"Me," said T1.
"No," said T2.
She twisted a little and broke free, but stumbled. T1 adroitly stepped over her and attained the bus first.
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"Did they get off all right?" LZ asked.
"Fine," I said. "But there was quite a scrum about who would get on the bus first."
"Apparently there's a new girl, a Charlee Anne on the bus."
"Oh," I said. "Do we have any more coffee?"
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I was on my way to the farm market with T1.
"Can we buy a pumpkin?" she asked.
"No," I said. "I'm just buying tomatoes. It's still summer for me."
"Look," T1 yelled. "There's Charlee Anne's house. She showed us from the bus."
I noted a big new brick and vinyl monstrosity dropped into what had been, until recently, a fine field.
"That's quite a house," I said.
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"I saw Charlee Anne's house on the way to farm market," I told LZ.
"I doubt it," she said. "Unless you took a very odd route. I'm pretty sure she lives in Eve's neighborhood, not out by the market."
"Hmm," I said.
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"Charlee Anne lives all by herself," T1 said.
"No parents?" I asked.
"They had to go to jail," T2 said.
"Why was that?" I asked.
"For stealing. Money."
"Does Charlee Anne have any brothers or sisters?" I asked.
"Daddy, you weren't listening," T1 said. "I just told you, she lives all alone."
"Here comes the bus," I said.
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"Did you know the parents were in jail?" I asked LZ.
"There may be something to that," she said. "Something's going on. Eve told me. She doesn't know all the details, but there is a chance that someone is in jail. She's trying to get the scoop."
"Oh," I said.
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There was big news at the dinner table that evening.
"Charlee Anne had to leave school early," T2 said.
"And why was that?" I asked.
"I don't know," T2 said. "She didn't tell me."
"I know," T1 said.
"Tell us," I said.
"Charlee Anne had to leave school early," she said. "Her deer was in the hospital and she had to go visit it."
"Charlee Anne has a deer?" I asked.
"Yes, Daddy," they both chimed in. "We told you already."
"What happened to the deer?" I asked.
"It was bitten by a big animal, like a bear," T1 said.
"We don't have any bears around here." I said. "I'm sure of it." (I was pretty sure.)
"I said a big animal LIKE a bear, not a bear," T1 said.
"What kind of animal do think it was, then?" I asked.
"It was an animal bigger than a dog, but not a dog. Like one of the animals we see on television," T1 said. "I don't know the name of it."
"And how is the deer?" I asked.
"It was bitten on the leg only," T1 said. "It has a bandage and it will be all right."
"Good," I said. "Oh, by the way, how did Charlee Anne get to the hospital? Don't tell me she drives a car."
The Things laughed at my credulousness. T1 laughed so hard she spit up some food and was severly admonished by LZ. I was given a warning look as well.
"Her grandparents took her," T2 said. "They are not dead yet."
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"In the summer," T1 said, "Charlee Anne cut Amy in half and then put her back together again, and she wasn't hurt at all."
"Who wasn't hurt? Charlee Anne?" I asked.
"No, Daddy, Amy wasn't hurt."
"Who told you this, Charlee Anne, or Amy?"
"Charlee Anne," they yelled.
"Aha," I said.
"Here comes the bus," they yelled. And they were off.
But as they charged I was right behind them. As they ran up the steps and down the aisle I leaned into the bus and motioned to the driver, Miss Ricki.
"Could you do me a quick favor?" I asked. "Which one of those girls is Charlee Anne?"
Miss Ricki laughed loudly, and, I felt, inappropriately.
"Charlee Anne," she roared. "No Charlee Annes on this bus!"
She reached for the crank and began closing the door. I stepped off the bus. As it pulled away I could see that Miss Ricki was still laughing, her head bobbing and weaving as she bore down on the next stop.
I stood there for a minute trying to puzzle it out. Then I felt a chill. Summer really was over. I went back into the house.
---------------------------------------------------------------
"We have to talk," I said to LZ.
What about?" she asked.
"I'm not sure," I said.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We were standing in the driveway, The Things and I, waiting for the school bus.
I saw it round the corner. "Here comes the bus," I said brightly.
Without a good-bye or a backwards glance The Things charged up the driveway.
"Me first," said T1.
"No. My turn," said T2.
When the bus door opened they charged and stuck, cartoonlike, shoulder to shoulder, backpacks swinging.
"Me," said T1.
"No," said T2.
She twisted a little and broke free, but stumbled. T1 adroitly stepped over her and attained the bus first.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Did they get off all right?" LZ asked.
"Fine," I said. "But there was quite a scrum about who would get on the bus first."
"Apparently there's a new girl, a Charlee Anne on the bus."
"Oh," I said. "Do we have any more coffee?"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I was on my way to the farm market with T1.
"Can we buy a pumpkin?" she asked.
"No," I said. "I'm just buying tomatoes. It's still summer for me."
"Look," T1 yelled. "There's Charlee Anne's house. She showed us from the bus."
I noted a big new brick and vinyl monstrosity dropped into what had been, until recently, a fine field.
"That's quite a house," I said.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I saw Charlee Anne's house on the way to farm market," I told LZ.
"I doubt it," she said. "Unless you took a very odd route. I'm pretty sure she lives in Eve's neighborhood, not out by the market."
"Hmm," I said.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Charlee Anne lives all by herself," T1 said.
"No parents?" I asked.
"They had to go to jail," T2 said.
"Why was that?" I asked.
"For stealing. Money."
"Does Charlee Anne have any brothers or sisters?" I asked.
"Daddy, you weren't listening," T1 said. "I just told you, she lives all alone."
"Here comes the bus," I said.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Did you know the parents were in jail?" I asked LZ.
"There may be something to that," she said. "Something's going on. Eve told me. She doesn't know all the details, but there is a chance that someone is in jail. She's trying to get the scoop."
"Oh," I said.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There was big news at the dinner table that evening.
"Charlee Anne had to leave school early," T2 said.
"And why was that?" I asked.
"I don't know," T2 said. "She didn't tell me."
"I know," T1 said.
"Tell us," I said.
"Charlee Anne had to leave school early," she said. "Her deer was in the hospital and she had to go visit it."
"Charlee Anne has a deer?" I asked.
"Yes, Daddy," they both chimed in. "We told you already."
"What happened to the deer?" I asked.
"It was bitten by a big animal, like a bear," T1 said.
"We don't have any bears around here." I said. "I'm sure of it." (I was pretty sure.)
"I said a big animal LIKE a bear, not a bear," T1 said.
"What kind of animal do think it was, then?" I asked.
"It was an animal bigger than a dog, but not a dog. Like one of the animals we see on television," T1 said. "I don't know the name of it."
"And how is the deer?" I asked.
"It was bitten on the leg only," T1 said. "It has a bandage and it will be all right."
"Good," I said. "Oh, by the way, how did Charlee Anne get to the hospital? Don't tell me she drives a car."
The Things laughed at my credulousness. T1 laughed so hard she spit up some food and was severly admonished by LZ. I was given a warning look as well.
"Her grandparents took her," T2 said. "They are not dead yet."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"In the summer," T1 said, "Charlee Anne cut Amy in half and then put her back together again, and she wasn't hurt at all."
"Who wasn't hurt? Charlee Anne?" I asked.
"No, Daddy, Amy wasn't hurt."
"Who told you this, Charlee Anne, or Amy?"
"Charlee Anne," they yelled.
"Aha," I said.
"Here comes the bus," they yelled. And they were off.
But as they charged I was right behind them. As they ran up the steps and down the aisle I leaned into the bus and motioned to the driver, Miss Ricki.
"Could you do me a quick favor?" I asked. "Which one of those girls is Charlee Anne?"
Miss Ricki laughed loudly, and, I felt, inappropriately.
"Charlee Anne," she roared. "No Charlee Annes on this bus!"
She reached for the crank and began closing the door. I stepped off the bus. As it pulled away I could see that Miss Ricki was still laughing, her head bobbing and weaving as she bore down on the next stop.
I stood there for a minute trying to puzzle it out. Then I felt a chill. Summer really was over. I went back into the house.
---------------------------------------------------------------
"We have to talk," I said to LZ.
What about?" she asked.
"I'm not sure," I said.
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