A Wave and a Wink

The brothers have started school. Big brother was so ready to go back. After a few months of his Brother’s sabotage antics he was frazzled like one of those stressed out mothers we see in Walmart. A few days before school he had his outfit set out on his dresser. His first day back was no sweat. He barely allowed me to snap a photo before he took off. When the bus came he ran off and didn’t look back. Off to the third grade.  Little brother also picked his own outfit. But he’s more of the last minute type like me and set out his clothes at bedtime the night before. Little brother was so excited for school that he couldn’t go to sleep. We talked about the school bus and rules he’d have to follow. When he found out he was getting on the little Headstart bus and not a big one like big Brother he was not impressed. He started saying he didn’t want to go to school anymore. Then with a sad face he said he was a big boy going to big school, he didn’t want a little bus. I never thought about the fact that he didn’t know about the bus size. All he’s ever seen is big brother getting on and off the big one, so of course he thought that’s the kind he’d be catching.

Little brother’s big day came first. He was so excited that morning that he was up way before the alarm was set to go off. By seven in the morning he was dressed with his teeth and hair brushed. At seven fifteen he was standing in the front doorway waiting to go. He still had a whole hour to wait and was getting impatient to go to the bus stop. It was so cute, as serious as he was, he didn’t seem nervous at all. We sat in the car at the bus stop for a while waiting. Ok, a full half-hour because he couldn’t wait any longer and went outside to our vehicle at quarter to eight. Every single car that he heard driving up the road he would intensely watch for out the car window. When he’d catch sight of it and see that it wasn’t his bus he’d let out the most disappointed “awwww!” and slump down in his car seat. Saying he was ready to go off to school would be a huge understatement. He was dying to go. The little bus came driving up the road and when he set his eyes on it he let out a “woohoo!”complete with two hands over his head. He had the biggest smile on his face as he watched it pull in and stop. He looked up at me and said, “That’s my bus, mumma!” I had to ask him to stop for a second so I could take a few pictures. He made me so proud. I wish I could have seen his face on that first ride to school. I was so nervous for him, and though I didn’t cry, when I helped him with his seatbelt on the bus I almost did. I held it all in until I got into my car. Then I let just a few tears out. It wasn’t until I got home and saw my husband that I let it all out. I cried pretty hard. My husband teased me about it. I don’t understand why he thought it was so funny. Yeah, I was an embarrassing wreck for a good solid hour but at least I waited until I got home to be a mess. For the rest of the day all I could think about was my little baby, my tail in the kitchen, the tugger of my shirt. He’s got four bus rides under his belt now and is like an old pro. He gets ready without a fuss in the morning. At the bus stop he seems so old waiting for his bus with his book bag on his back. When the bus comes he doesn’t want to stop to give me a hug or kiss. So I just steal one when I put his seatbelt on him. All he wants to give me is a wave out the window and a two eyed wink.