3 Good Things: A romp to school, resilient eagles and responsive rats
by Michael Reardon
August 2014
It was during their second year at Middle Park Elementary School that Michael and I realized that we were in for a romp. In December of that second year, we made a decision to stop paying for the school bus trip, and I drove my own vehicle back and forth over the three miles of track that ran between us.
At first, I was nervous about the idea of letting my parents take me on the school bus to and from school. I had never before been in that situation, and I was concerned about running into some of those neighborhood bullies on that route.
However, a month into my independence, Michael and I went with a friend to get on the bus as a “pre-trip.” We were both nervous about that and said our goodbyes to my parents. About an hour later, I heard a knock on my door.
It was a friend of mine, who lived in another city. He had been to see me, and had given me his card and told me he would be stopping by in the morning.
I met him on the doorstep wearing only my underpants. He had put me to bed in my bare feet without undressing me.
My first thought when I opened the door was, “Oh my god. What am I doing?”
The second thought was, “What was I thinking?! I’m supposed to be at school.”
As we walked down the road to the bus, he asked me why I didn’t have a change of clothes. I didn’t have any. I couldn’t even find any socks. I had completely forgotten where I had put my shoes.
Before he finished telling me, we were inside the bus and on the way to school.
We had a great first day of school. I was really excited to see everyone and didn’t complain about my clothes.
The first day was tough. I was tired. I slept in a little late and the bus hadn’t yet arrived. I really missed