By Bus with Vicki - Part 12

Hello, FFFs,

Did you all have a good week? 

I think I did. It was so crazy and busy that I have to stop and think. Oh, yeah, it was a good week. I have managed to get 5k written already (on TCR-6 in case you were wondering) in spite of hardly getting anything written Monday evening and nothing on Tuesday. I attended the re-organizational meeting of our county's republican central committee of which I am a member. I taught writing class, I worked a little on planning a "virtual party" (stay tuned to learn more of this fun fall party!), I got my "new" short story kindle book ready for pre-order and have been sending out ARC copies these last few days, as well as answering questions for interviews.

Plus I've been working on that Bike Trip book I told you about a while ago.  It's been fun to watch the trips settle into pages with photos and diaries. :) But it takes a long time! One trip I did has 21 pages! It's going to be one long book!

Now, I hope you enjoy this next part of this long story. I did warn you that it was long you know. You probably just didn't expect it to be this long. :)

By Bus with Vicki

Part 12

    “Yup.” The man must have realized that he had a bus full of listeners, for he launched into a story that may not have been entirely true.

    Even Vicki was a little skeptical about a few parts of it, but she only whispered to Rose, “I like the story, even if it is partly fiction.”

    Thanks to the distraction of the storyteller, no one had noticed the passing of time, and when the driver finally returned to the bus, no one grumbled about the delay.

    Pulling into the next station, the driver announced that they would eat there and that some passengers would change buses. That included Vicki and, to her delight, Rose. The driver escorted them to the station and introduced them to their new driver. “Is this the last time I’ll have to change buses now?” Vicki asked.

    The young driver nodded. “Yes. Make sure that you don’t get on any other buses.” He turned to the new driver, an older man with gray hair. “She got on the wrong bus last night and went four hours out of her way.”

    “I’ll make sure both young ladies are on the bus before I pull out of any station,” promised the new driver with a smile at Vicki and Rose. “Now, suppose you both go inside and eat a good dinner. I’ll make sure you get on my bus.

    Vicki was surprised at how hungry she was. “All I’ve done is ride on a bus all day,” she remarked to Rose and Mr. and Mrs. Green. The girls were once again sharing a table with the friendly couple. “I get hungry at home when I’ve been riding my bike or playing with the young ones, but not when I haven’t done anything.” With a shrug, she picked up her breadstick. “Oh, don’t let me forget to call my parents before we leave,” she said. “I should do it tonight so they can let my sister know I’m going to be late.”

    Before anyone rose from their places at the table, the driver came over. “Do either of you, young ladies want to stretch your legs or anything before we leave? We have ten minutes.”

    “I should call my parents if there is a pay phone,” Vicki said. “I tried to call them last night, but the phone was out of order and the line for the other one was too long.”

    When a phone was pointed out to her, she rushed over and was soon waiting for someone to pick up the phone. “Henry!” she squealed when a familiar voice answered. “I didn’t think I’d get to talk to you. Where are Mom and Dad? Is Suzuki all right? Did Clyde call last night? Of course he couldn’t tell you because he didn’t know, but I got on the wrong bus and was going to Montana. But now I’m back on the right road, but the station man at the other stop said I’d be late getting to San Jose. I don’t know Amber’s phone number, so someone is going to have to call and let her know and–”

    “Whoa! Vicki, hold on!” Henry ordered. “I can’t answer anything when you keep rattling on like that. Mom and Dad are at the park with the younger ones. Yes, someone called for you last night, but what is this about a wrong bus? How late are you going to be getting to San Jose?”

     Vicki shrugged, forgetting her brother couldn’t see her. “I don’t remember when the driver said. And it might depend on if we have any more adventures. We’ve had so many already! But I can’t talk long, Henry, because the bus is going to leave and I can’t miss it. I know I went four hours towards Montana before I could get on a different bus. But I’m having so much fun! Oh, I’m going to have to go soon.”

    “Vicki, where are you now?”

    “Um . . .” Vicki looked around and finally said, “Just a minute and I’ll ask. I was too busy playing a game to notice.” Turning around she called to the driver, “Where are we please and when will we get to San Jose?”

    The driver stated the town and gave the estimated time of arrival. Vicki quickly repeated it to her brother. “Now I have to go, Henry. Tell Mom and Dad I’m quite well and having a marvelous time. I’ll call again when I can. And oh, I have so many stories to tell you! Good bye!”

    After she had hung up, Vicki skipped over to the bus where her new driver was standing. “This is the right bus, isn’t it?” she asked, a smile spreading across her face.

    “If you’re heading to San Jose it is.” The driver returned her smile and gave her a wink.

    With a giggle, Vicki climbed aboard after Rose. The bus already had quite a few passengers, but the girls found a seat across the aisle from the Greens. In a few minutes they were again in motion and once again Vicki was on her way farther west. For a time she was content to talk with Rose and the Greens, but after a while she began to wish for something else to do. She couldn’t read because her bag was on another bus, as was everything else she had so carefully packed to help pass the time. 

Have you ever forgotten your bag of things on a trip?

What would you do if you had?

Only 2 more parts of this story. Will you be back?