I drive this race track known as I-495 twice each
day; 35 miles to work, 35 miles from work. Like many of the routine events in
our lives, on this trip I was on auto-pilot. I hadn't really noticed any of the
scenery or events going on around me as instinct kept me on the
road.
I don't know why the school bus caught my eye or why I reacted to it.
But, for a few brief moments I was off auto-pilot and watching the events
happening on the bus. From a center window of the bus, a small, but, important
human drama was beginning to unfold.
A young girl waved frantically at every passing car. Each wave was
paired with a smile. Truckers got a double wave and a pull of the trolley car
bell in a hope of hearing the foghorn blast of the truck's air horn. A few heart
attacks were no doubt spared as no trucker sounded off.
The wind created a tangled mess of her hair as she hung out the window
waving at each and every car, looking for a wave in return. No waves came. Her
friends, looking more than a little embarrassed and holding their hands over
their faces in a quest for anonymity, tried in vain to make this girl sit down
in defeat and silent realization that people just aren't friendly enough to wave
at a strange girl hanging out of a bus window.
If she had any thought of becoming a zoo-keeper, they were quickly
trashed as rabbits, cougars, and mustangs all passed by without as much as a
second glance. Dreams then of the Phoenix rising were not to be found. Yet, she
kept smiling. She kept waving. She kept her faith in the people passing in their
cars.
As I approached the bus, it was my turn. My dark glasses prevented her
from making eye contact with me. I could see her eyes, though, as they sent out
the message, "Come on, guy! One wave! It won't kill you!" My hands stayed
on the steering though, as I slowly began to overtake the
bus.
She waved at me. I looked straight ahead. The front of my car was now
even with her window. In an act of desperation and one last hope, she hit me
with a double wave. The look on her face - Please?!
I lifted a finger off the steering wheel and placed it on a switch on
the dashboard. The headlights went up. They went down. The girl clapped and
jumped up with her two fists thrust into the air in victory and a justification
of faith.
The smile became a roaring grin and laughter rang out. High-fives were
not going to be enough from her friends. She demanded, and got, a high-tens as
her friends rocked the bus and joined her celebration.
As I passed the bus, I glanced in the mirror. I could see her give me
one more wave, one more smile; a thumbs-up salute. The headlights went up and
down once again. I smiled.
Life is filled with little moments thrown together to create events
worth remembering. I wonder how many of them I have missed as I was traveling on
auto-pilot.
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