What a kind soul. On the first day of sophomore year at Arrowhead High School, I was the first to be picked up. I sat in the front seat behind the bus driver and I secretly and silently cried in my head, dreading the first day. I was incredibly lonely and no one would talk to me or sit by me. Jerry, my bus driver, talked to me, though. He was so kind and genuine and I could tell he had a good heart. Plus, he kind of looked like Santa. 

Everyday before school, when he picked me up at the bus stop, he would wait up to five minutes for me to show up (since I was always running kind of late). My dad and I both appreciated it so much that he cared enough to wait for me. It showed how much he cared about all of the kids that he drove to and from school everyday.

Once my dad started driving me to the bus stop instead of me having to walk that half mile, we started having conversations about the cars my dad would drop me off in. And then we would have conversations about my family and my sisters and when I moved in with my dad. It was nice having someone to tell my stories to. He told me stories of the past students that he would talk to as well that also sat in the front seat.

Jerry would also drop me off closer to my house than he was supposed to for the bus routes because he didn’t want me walking so far during the cold snowy winter. I could tell he cared. He had the dearest smile and laugh. But within the last week of school I got my license but I wasn’t driving to school yet. I didn’t know what day I was going to start driving to school. 

I never got to say a formal goodbye. So here it is, thank you so much Jerry for caring about me and making sure I wasn’t walking in the cold after school. I couldn’t appreciate you more. Thank you.