Public Transportation Ch. 02

(This is the second chapter of my first longer story. Since my last submission I have learned two things. The first is that I did a lousy job of editing the first chapter. I hope I improved on that with this chapter. The second is that my first chapter was pretty short. This is one is about the same length as the first one, but I see it as Chapter 1b. The next chapter should be much longer. Again, don't expect hot and heavy action for awhile. This is a love story, not a porn movie. Also, pleas not that the main character has shifted to the bus driver from Lenny, to the bus driver from the first chapter. The point of view will switch between them at different points in the story. I welcome any contructive criticism, as long as it is offered in a polite fashion.)

Norma Jenkins pulled her Pace bus into the depot a bit after seven PM. Even before she could take off her seatbelt, she spotted her supervisor. Roger, was standing outside the bus, waiting for her. There was a grim look on his thin, pinched face. His thin, black tie was cinched around his white collar. This meant trouble. He usually left it at half-mast, under his blue Pace warm-up jacket. Damn, the jacket was gone too. He had wearing that black suit jacket his Judith had given him for his last birthday. When Roger got nervous he sweated, and then the suit jackets always came off.

Norma eased the door open, then stood up and moved toward the door. She descended the stairs slowly, trying no to start at the light pink slip Roger's left hand. Shit no… This can't be happening to me; not now, was all she could think. Maya's check-up was coming up soon. If she didn't have her regular salary, then she wouldn't be able to make her payments to the medical group. It didn't matter to them if your baby was out of her nebulizer treatments. They were all polite and chipper, until you owed them money and couldn't keep up with your payment schedule. Then they kicked you to the curb, refusing to fill your prescriptions. It didn't matter that the medical insurance was under her mother's name, with Maya, her grandchild, listed as having been adopted by Norma's mother, Edna Mae. Norma was the one responsible for the bills. Her mother didn't have a lot of extra money, seeing as teaching didn't pay much better, per hour worked, than fast food.

Norma had given birth to her daughter, Maya, in her junior year of high school. She hadn't been ready for the responsibility of a daughter yet. Hell, she hadn't even been ready to care of herself. The baby's father acted like he never even knew her, besides secretly trying to slip her some money for an abortion; as if fifty bucks could help with that. She knew her mother, a good God fearing church deaconess, wasn't about to let that happen. She was glad that her mother never heard the rumors her stupid ex-boyfriend had circulated about her. She had been a virgin when they slept together for the first time. He had told her he loved her and that they would get married after college. He had been loving and gentle. He had told her everything she wanted to hear. After he found out she was pregnant, he told all of their friends that she was a slut and he didn't see how she could be sure the baby was even his. From that moment on, he treated her like she was scum, not worth of a kind word.

Resigning herself to her fate, Norma kept the baby and kept going to school. That summer, in late July, Maya was born. At that moment, laying exhausted and drained, and holding her tiny infant in her arms, Maya felt like was going to be O.K. after all.

For the three month of her daughter's life she tried to juggle school and being a new mother, but it was too much pressure. She was used to having fun on the weekends with her friends, rather than having to take care of a child. Her grades had always been consistently good, but had started to slip that year. Now they broke the bottom of the bell curve. She started to stay out late, even when the baby needed her, and skipped school enough that she was suspended, twice. The pressure was too much.

Norma couldn't see a good way out of her situation. She ran off with some new boyfriend, leaving her infant behind with her mother. They new boyfriend abandoned her after three weeks, but she refused to go home. After a horrible year of living in a crappy tenement and working the graveyard shift at McDonalds, she begged for her mother to let her move home again. Her mother had made it clear that if she wanted to stay, she had to work a nine-to-five job and had to get her GED. She also made it clear that Norma was to be home by nine thirty each night and was not to have boys over, or to date anyone for one year. She had managed to do all that her mother required of her, applying herself with new energy. She learned how to be a mother for her child and started to take on the responsibilities of paying her mother $350 a month for room and board, paying for her little girl's clothing and medical expenses, and helping with the household cooking and cleaning.

Besides that, she had even started taking classes at Joliet Junior College. If she could accumulate enough credit hours, she could get a job as a classroom aide. It didn't pay as well as being a bus driver, but it was a step toward becoming a teacher. Somewhere along the way, she had decided that it was her goal to teach kindergarten. Her mother and grandmother had both been teachers their whole lives. Norma had never real thought she would want to follow in their footsteps, but when she got her life together, it was what she felt lead too.

Her daughter had grown and thrived. She was now a slip, perky second grader with dark brown, curly hair and very light mocha skin. Her eyes were a startling emerald green. Her father's had been too. There were moment's when Norma could see the bastard runaway father in her daughter's smile and posture, but she ignored them. Maya was her's and she was the most beautiful and intelligent child that had ever lived. Grandma agreed with Norma on that.

Things had been going very well. She only needed to finish up this semester and she would have enough hours to start as a classroom aide. District 86 didn't used to have a required number of college credits to be an aide, but two years ago they had changed the policy. You could still get hired as one without the hours, but only at a temporary employee. You couldn't get benefits, you couldn't join the union and you didn't have a guarantee that your job wouldn't vanish beneath your feet.

She was suppose to start night classes at St. Francis University in the Fall, paid for from a college fund her mother had established when Norma was only two, but never though her daughter would actually use. It wasn't an enormous amount, but with her mother taking over her share of the financial responsibilities again, with Norma working full time, they would have managed. Now what was she suppose to do? Go work at Popeye's for $6.00 an hour? Fold shirts at K-Mart for only a tiny bit more?

Norma shook her head as she descended the steps, slowly, and then forced herself to hold her chin up. They had been studying the French Revolution in one of her classes. She felt like a French noblewoman being lead toward the guillotine. She couldn't escape and pleading wouldn't help, but would steal her dignity. All she had was her dignity. "Hi Roger, what's up?" Her stomach was in knots, waiting for the fatal words.

"Uh... hi Norma." He shifted back and forth, like a little child forced to stand in a long line. "I don't know how to tell you this…" Roger looked really upset. He was a decent guy, despite having a major stick up his butt. He was demanding, but he had always stood by his drivers. "You can always call your union rep… I…"

It was too much. Norma knew the whole story. Pace just didn't have enough riders for some of their routes. They were bringing in enough profit to justify keeping some of them. Drivers got laid off. She had only been at the job for nine months, so she didn't have the seniority to survive.

Norma put a hand on Roger's shoulder. "Just stop talking Roger. It's not your fault." She took the slip from his hand. "Say hello to Judith and your girls for me. Tell her I really appreciated that cake she baked for my birthday. I'll see you around. Joliet isn't that big a town." She walked on swiftly, not giving Roger a chance to respond. It had been all she could do not to take out her frustration on him. It wouldn't do any good. He was just an employee too, trying to provide for his family and keep their respect, just like she was with her little girl.

Ten minutes later she was on the street, the contents of her locker in a file folder box that she stole from Roger's office. The other employees had all offered quick sympathies, but hadn't really looked her in the eye. She knew they were all just glad that the axe hadn't fallen on them. Norma imagined that the entire Pace system was like some crappy reality show. She hadn't won the immunity thing-a-ma-jig, so she was voided bus. There wouldn't even be an appearance, for her, on Regis and Kelly, just a humiliating trip to the unemployment office.

Her mother's old station wagon was parked on the street outside the depot, with the motor running. Her mothered stared at the box, as Norma slipped into the front seat, but didn't say anything. Edna Mae's eyes had a sad, knowing look. Maya launched herself half-way over the back of the front seat to give her mother a hug, then started talking very quickly about a people called the Vikings she had learned about in school. Norma forced herself to smile at Maya, as her little girl recounted how they raided coastal villages. She couldn't let Maya feel the burden of their position. She wanted for her to feel safe and loved. Norma's mother looked over at her daughter, and patted her knee. "How would my girls feel about dinner at Steak N' Shake?" Maya screamed "YES!" and Norma just nodded at her mother, fighting to keep her tears back.