Things not to do before driving a school bus…… :0)

Larry Stubbs walked over to his school bus; it was 4:30 am Tuesday January 25^th- 34 degrees and dropping.

 Stubbs shivered as he crossed the gravel parking lot; he had been out drinking the previous evening and had left his coat at Mary something or other? While beating a hasty retreat upon meeting Mary’s Husband Big Norm coming home early from the Grave yard shift. Mary had forgotten to mention that minor detail as Larry had never asked.

Mary had adopted -don’t ask don’t tell motto- from her Navy days. Besides by the time Larry walked into “The lost Hole of Calcutta” she was four sheets to the wind sailing down the road of her forgotten youth pushing her tragic union with Norm Deep South across the confederate border where all the forgotten people go and crawl back via “Flat broke paper mountain” from Lawyer city, (whatever that means, I’m just the writer and this is just a writing exercise with the first thoughts that came into my noggin after spending a morning on the big yellow school bus :0) )

Stubbs ordered a shot of Jack while inquiring of stonewall (the bar keep) as to the status of the redheaded fly eating nuts from the cracked soup bowl. “Some Yankee broad from Yonkers, first time I seen her, must be checked in at the “6” across the street” he replied.

“Well Hoots, its ma lucky night, what ever she’s swiggin” and with that the drunken Scotsman ventured into another blind alley.

Stubbs boarded his bus shutting the door. He reached under the driver’s seat, pulled out a sports bag, unzipped it, and removed his blanket he used for napping between school bus routes. Then he moved to the rear bench seat of the bus to catch some shuteye before his 6:45am report.

Larry Stubbs was awakened by the sound of a loud voice accompanied by blue and red flashes lighting the interior of the bus. Officer Murphy looked like one of Stephen Kings Ghost pirates from the movie “The Fog” at first he thought he was having a nightmare and blinked hoping it was so.

 But 5 mins later on his short non carnival cruiser trip across the street to the Tigard Police Station, a night in a cell, followed by his 15 mins of fame with Judge Judy and Hi My Name is unemployed Larry and I have a problem at AA on 3^rd and Hard luck street He realized this was his wake up call!!!

The previous evening at a prayer meeting over in "Twin falls" Idaho Mary Stubbs Larry’s Mother (who lived on her own since her Husband Patrick Died of cancer 3 years previous)

Had asked the group assembled in on a circle of chairs to pray for her son Larry that God would do to him what he had to, but not Kill him in order to save his soul and give him a fresh start in life… to be continued…some day when I get the urge. Thanks for reading J