By: Brenda Wilkerson
The internal numbers on the dash read 110° as the kids, some fresh off the playground, climbed aboard for their ride home. Knowing the AC wasn’t working well, I chose to let all the windows down, pop the top hatches for sips of circulation, and run what was left of the AC full blast so as to not bake the children.
Among the rowdy 62 nestled onto Old Yeller, was a kindergartner named J. He told me he felt like he was going to throw up. Knowing the buses were about to depart, I quickly glanced around looking for something he could use — just in case. I found a quart-sized Ziploc bag and told him to let me know if he needed me.
About 1/4 into our route, I began to hear the panic sounds I know all too well. With the help of an older student, we got the kids around him moved and the announcement was carefully declared to keep their belongings off the floor. Thankfully, J was feeling MUCH better after the incident. Within a few streets, the word had got to me that the vomit was ‘traveling.’ With that urgent info, I safely stopped to lay some paper towels on the spreading mess to keep it from traveling too far. From what I can gather, this little guy did throw up in the bag and apparently had zipped it up. He fell asleep and . . . Dropped. The. Bag. Of. Puke. Aaannnd 💥 KABOOM! 💣
Bless it! I got on the mic to check on him often. Every time, his tiny little thumb would shoot up behind the seat signaling he was okay. It seemed like an eternity, but we got him delivered home with no additional incidents. After finishing the call to the school to request some janitorial assistance upon my return, we carried on.
My relief was brief. Within moments my eyes locked with a first grader who claimed that he had “to go real bad!” He was my very last stop! Talking him through to make sure he didn’t pee himself, I knew the deserted and wooded cul-de-sac we were going to make a pit stop in. With tears in his eyes, he bolted off the bus and stood close to the front tire, out of sight from any students as I instructed. What seemed like hours, he climbed back up those three big steps as a brand new kid. I gave him a squirt of hand sanitizer and away we went for the last eight stops.
Whew y’all!
*Note to self – buy smelly good cat litter and better bags for throw-up emergencies!
By: Brenda Wilkerson
June 20, 2025
