School Bus Driver Hands: I

Loretta had no teeth and no false teeth. And when she yelled, you’d see a mouthful of gums and her words would slur with a slight "gum accent." But nobody ever made fun of her gums. She’d hear something happening and she’d look up into the rectangular mirror above her. Her snake eyes would slit and get fierce. Then she’d start yellin’. And it was a kind of yellin’ that made all activities stop immediately. And the quiet bus would keep rumbling down the dirt road – dust billowing out behind. And I don’t remember if she ever used that word "brat" with us but she definitely thought that word of us. She wore red lipstick that bled and long frizzy hair dyed red with dark-gray roots. She was very thin and had long fingers with large knuckles. And she had very long bright red fingernails and liked to wear big rings with flashy jewels. The bus was a stick shift and when we went up the steep hill to home, she’d wrap those fingers with the long red fingernails around the gear shift knob and she’d strongly downshift and downshift the bus again. She never broke a nail.

School Bus Driver Hands: II

Alan was quiet. He had greased-down black hair and a receding hairline. He combed long strands of his black hair over his balding head to try to cover it up. And when there was something happening in the back of the bus, he’d look up and sometimes he’d say something, and sometimes he’d just look away. When he said something it was with a slightly raised voice – the disturbance in the back would momentarily stop and then you’d hear it start up again. The bus was loud when Alan drove the bus. He drove as if he didn’t hear the noise. For all I know maybe he didn’t. He drove straight ahead – on and on – eyes on the road. He was a regular sized man. He wore plaid shirts. And at the knuckles he was missing three fingers on his right hand. When we went up the steep hill to home, he’d downshift and downshift again. He’d use his thumb, index finger and palm of his hand as the strength to force the gearshift down. The other fingers - gone – gaped into space. And those missing fingers looked harsh and mean. He never seemed bothered – it was like he’d forgotten. But I never forgot them for him.

copyright maggie hall© 2007