By: Brenda Wilkerson
“How will we ever get home?!” one of my precious passengers cried, with big tears welling up in her wide brown eyes. With only 11 students left on board towards the end of our route, we drove upon a wreck so fresh that the occupants were just coming out of their damaged vehicles that were, unfortunately, blocking both directions of traffic on the dangerous curvy road.
My heart ached for the young lady who, once she got out, had just collapsed in the road, all alone, with her head in her hands as she was obviously upset and in shock. In my heart of hearts, I wanted to run and check on her. I wanted to see if she was okay, call her mom, comfort her, explain what shock was, and stay with her until a family member or the ambulance arrived to help her through the next overwhelming and complicated steps. We have all been there. But my allegiance as bus captain was to stay with my yellow ship and comfort my precious cargo tucked inside. There was no danger to us, so I didn’t have to execute the ‘evacuation’ plan, yet we were so very stuck with no way forward and a winding road behind us.
Calling in the wreck over the county radio to the school was the first thing I did so parents could be notified and other buses that run this street could find an alternate route. My job now was to keep the kids calm. I explained that the wreck was not serious, and all involved seemed to be okay as they awkwardly waited for the police and paramedics to arrive. A few kids were still very worried as this may have been the first ever wreck that they were front row seat to. After trying many ways to talk through and comfort, I finally asked, “Does anyone know how to pray?” Lil Momma K immediately responded, “I do.” I encouraged that line of action for anyone who felt comfortable to do so, for the people we saw hurting before us being played out like a bad movie through our windshield big screen TV. My man L piped up and added, “I can pray, but only in my head.” I said, “Alright, go.” Immediately he interlocked his young fingers and bowed his head, silently praying so hard his eyes were tightly squinted shut.
My older kids quietly comforted the younger ones by holding a hand or whispering encouragement with gentle and kind words about getting home soon. By this time, onlookers and concerned neighbors were caring for those involved. At this point, others were showing up to help this stranded bus get these babies safely home. Several volunteers helped us by walking alongside our bus, creeping along in reverse, making a safe path to a driveway wide enough to back into and turn around. With the generous help of random strangers, we were free! Although we were all so very relieved, I knew the kids were affected by the ‘trauma’ of the situation except for Sweet & Sassy J who miraculously slept peacefully through the entire thing. ‘Brown Eyes’ stayed teary and at her stop, dramatically ran into her grandmother’s arms to release the rest of her tears. Luckily, all parents were alerted to our sticky situation and expressed thankful gratitude for getting their frightened bus baby home safely. One parent claimed that I was the ‘Best Bus Driver Ever.’ As sweet as that was, and I won’t deny her right to claim that. I feel I just did what any other bus driver would do.
Lord, thank you for Your safety and provisions through the generosity of others. Amen!
By: Brenda Wilkerson
November 1, 2024
