Silver Arrow Ch. 05-06

"How was the interview?" Diane asked as I came in the door.

"Uhhm ... fine. I have to get tested by them sometime next week. It's a competition among ten of us for three jobs," I said quietly, dropping down into my usual kitchen chair. "I should have expected that."

Diane walked to me and wrapped her arms round me, giving me her usual welcome home hug.

"You'll do fine," she said, her hand under my jaw and tilting my face up to hers. "Just be the man I know you are and you will be one of the three. I know it."

If Diane believed in me, then who was I to be worried about the outcome? I needed to believe in myself and hope that attitude came across with all my other accomplishments during the course. I had aced the course, why wouldn't I ace the competition?

The competition covered both driving skill and technique as well as my ability to deal with customers. I had confidence in my driving, but worried about my personal interaction with the passengers who were added to the testing. It was obvious they had been coached to perform in a certain manner to assess my patience and ability to cope under pressure.

I never saw the other men who were being tested so I had no idea how I had performed in comparison. I did my best and then had to wait to see what management's evaluation would be.

They posted the names of the successful candidates on a bulletin board in the outer office. I was so nervous I was almost afraid to look. But when I did, there I was, number three on a list of three. I was requested to report to Mr. Cloutier at two o'clock that afternoon for my formal hiring at Silver Arrow Tours. That left me plenty of time to phone Diane.

"Yeah, I'm in. I won the prize. I have a job and a future. I'm higher than a kite right now and I haven't even had my second cup of coffee," I chuckled.

"I'm very proud of you, Doug. You wanted this and you went for it and you got it. That's wonderful. You'll get your proper reward later today," she promised.

"Isn't it strange? All this came about because of an accident. Something I had no control over. It must be fate or something. I had to go through hell to get to here. Losing you was the worst, but throw in the hospital stay and I think it might have been easy to give up."

"I think that's the big difference I see, Doug. You didn't give up. You knew what you wanted and you went for it. And now that you've got it, I'm betting you'll hold onto it with all your might."

"Well, I'm going to prove you right in every way, Diane. I'll be home this afternoon and we can talk about what their plans are for me."

"I'll be here, waiting," she said. I could hear the smile in her voice.

"Come in, Doug," Warren Cloutier said with a smile. "Congratulations on being selected to join Silver Arrow."

We shook hands and he indicated where I should sit.

"I'm really pleased I was selected," I said as I began to relax.

"We've always had high standards, Doug, and if you've been chosen, you've proven you meet those standards. I have some paperwork for you to fill out to formalize your employment, so let's get started."

And that was my introduction to my new job. I had achieved my goal and I took a great deal of pride in that. It wasn't easy, but as I quickly realized, winning that competition gave me a great sense of achievement.

I got my usual welcoming hug and kiss from Diane when I bounced into the house that afternoon.

"The shiny new driver for Silver Arrow has arrived," I announced as I swung Diane around in my arms. I might only be five-seven, but Diane was five-two and weighed about one-ten. She was easy to pick up and hold.

"Congratulations, Doug. I knew you could do it. I'm proud of you and the children will be too."

I was on a high and full of energy. I had a job and I had my first assignment. I would be riding with a proven professional and an experienced tour guide for my first trip. I would drive part of the time, but only after I got used to how the drivers and tour guides handled the passengers. They couldn't teach all the permutations and combinations of people that we would encounter, so this time experience would be my instructor.

"Our first trip is a 'blue rinse' tour to Charleston," I announced.

"What's a 'blue rinse' tour?" Diane asked.

I laughed. "That's what the drivers and tour guides call a tour with elderly women. We'll be gone five days. We overnight in Asheville, North Carolina, spend two nights in Charleston, then head back with an overnight in Knoxville and then a short run home. We leave Monday morning."

"You're all excited about this, aren't you," she smiled.

"You know it. I've got a lot to learn, but I'm really looking forward to it."

I would be home for another four nights before my first tour was scheduled. Plenty of time to get myself prepared. I would be in the Silver Arrow office on Friday for a briefing with the tour guide and the driver. I was to be fitted for my uniform, and I wanted to know what I should bring with me for the trip besides my bathroom kit.

Warren Cloutier took me around and introduced me to the people I would be working with. Seth Miller was head of maintenance, and I was sure I would be seeing him often. Wendy Wallington supervised the tour guides, both men and women. I met a number of drivers and tour guides, but I probably wouldn't remember their names until I got more time on the job.

Warren arranged for direct deposit of my salary.

"When you get your own bus, you will find that the passengers will be given two envelopes with their guide book," he told me. "Those envelopes are for tips for the guide and the driver. They are almost always cash and we will give them suggestions on how much of a tip is appropriate. It's usually twenty dollars for the tour guide and ten dollars or more for the driver, depending on how long the trip is and how much work each of you has to do.

"You earn quite a bit more than the guides in salary, so don't be upset about the difference in tips. It's up to you to report this as income for tax purposes. We don't keep track of it, so make sure you log it and report it. You don't want the IRS on your back. We haven't had any problems with them in the past and we don't want any in the future. Understood?" he asked in a kindly fashion.

"Yes ... sure," I answered, not realizing that there would be tips. Perhaps I should have, but I didn't.

I was wound up tighter than a drum-head when Monday morning rolled around. I had my uniform hung in the bedroom closet, ready to go. It was a summer outfit, lightweight cotton short-sleeved shirt, no tie, light windbreaker jacket, pressed slacks and my best black shoes. We didn't wear a cap inside the bus, but outside, yes. It was a military style soft-top and we looked sharp in our pale blue outfits. A Silver Arrow badge was pinned to our jacket and embroidered on the left breast of the shirt. Yeah ... we looked sharp!

Diane took my picture with me in uniform on the front lawn, once with me alone, and once with the children. Billy thought my uniform was "cool." I kissed Diane goodbye at the door, promising to call each evening. I gave the children a hug and left for the office. It wasn't yet seven o'clock, but we had a bus to inspect, luggage to load, and passengers to greet. Our departure time was nominally eight o'clock, but I had been warned not to panic if we didn't get away on time.

Our experienced driver was Mel Enright, a veteran of fifteen years and considered one of the top five drivers on staff. Our tour guide was Amanda Wheeler, a five year veteran. That surprised me. She looked barely twenty-five, so I assumed she started this job very young. As I found out later, she was a graduate of Louisville University, majoring in hotel management and was twenty-seven. Mel and she had worked together several times and he was very pleased with her performance.

It was almost eight-thirty before we pulled out of the hotel where we picked up our guests. As Amanda explained, there were always a few stragglers and we took that into account when we planned these trips. The biggest concern was "no shows," people who had paid for the tour but failed to show up. There was nothing we could do but carry on without them.

It didn't come as any surprise that the passengers were a bit quiet at first. Amanda was up front and giving them a blow-by-blow of where we were and points of interest as we passed them. I'd already learned that many of the passengers weren't from Louisville, so we didn't take anything for granted and gave them the full tour guide rendition. I watched Amanda with some admiration. For someone so young, she was very self-assured and spoke clearly and enthusiastically about the sights we passed.

But I watched Mel more closely than I watched Amanda. I noted how he controlled the bus and how he monitored what was going on around him on the road. Reilly Hitchcock, my driving instructor, had told me to think like a fighter pilot. I should be continuously monitoring my mirrors to see what was going on behind and beside me. I didn't want any surprises. As I watched Mel, I could see he practiced this constantly.

When I first started to drive one of these big units, I found it difficult to modulate my braking. Air brakes were very positive things, and could bring the bus to a halt in a big hurry if necessary. However, for the comfort of the passengers, you wanted to make any stops or slow-downs as smooth as possible and that required anticipation and finesse. I watched Mel's technique and discovered he was a "two-foot" man. That meant he used his left foot on the brakes and not his right like most of us were taught when we learned to drive our cars. I tried two-foot, but I was terrible at modulation and I went back to right foot only with better results.

There was more than one brand of bus in the Silver Arrow fleet. Today's bus was a Prevost, made in Quebec. There were thousands of them in service in North America. They were a little less sophisticated than some of the European models, but they had proved rugged and reliable in use. The company was now owned by Volvo, and it was expected they would add many of the European features in their new models. Prevost buses made up about two-thirds of our fleet.

The Silver Arrow owner had also bought several Van Hool and Setra buses from Europe, wanting to compare them to our domestic model. Maintenance was keeping a careful log on all the buses to see where the strengths and weaknesses were. They also consulted the drivers about their preferences. The Euro buses were more complex and had some neat features, but as far as the basics went, they were tough and reliable. Mel said it made little difference to him which model he drove.

I had done all my training on the Prevost, but I was anxious to try one of the others just to see what they were like. Mel told me they'd keep me on this type for now until I got some miles under my butt.

"Where are you from, Doug?" Amanda asked at our first rest stop.

"St. Cloud, Minnesota. It's not far from Minneapolis. How about you?"

"Owensboro, Kentucky, and Mel's from Dubuque, Iowa."

"I imagine our people come from all over the country," I suggested.

"Yeah, although most are from east of the Mississippi."

"Is this what you had in mind for a career?" I asked her.

"No ... I was studying hotel management, but nothing was available and when this job came up, I thought it would be a good start. I like it as a stepping stone to something a little more consistent. But you can't beat it for experience or getting to know how to work with people."

It sounded like she was ambitious but smart enough to wait for the right opportunity.

"You married, Doug?"

"Yes and no," I smiled. "Actually, my wife and I divorced a couple of years ago, but we're getting back together. I think we're going to be okay."

"That's nice," she said. "Children?"

"Three. Debbie is ten, Billy is eight, and Sandy is five. They are great kids."

"It's good they have their dad back with them. I bet they missed you."

"Yeah ... almost as much as I missed them. But I'm living at home now, so it's like a complete family again."

"Good luck," she smiled.

The five days seemed to go by in a hurry. I watched how Mel and Amanda handled the passengers. You could almost categorize them into types. Some were quiet and hardly said anything to anyone. Others were quite talkative amongst the other passengers. Some were curious about certain things that they wanted to see and often approached Amanda to ask when they would be visiting such-and-such.

Mel kept to himself and I stuck with Mel. We did get approached by passengers wanting to know if we would be going near a certain place or when we expected to arrive in Charleston. We also got some questions about the bus itself and our lives. I explained this was my first trip and I was an observer for now, but I answered the questions about the bus as best as I was able. Mel let me know I was doing fine.

Charleston was a really interesting place. It was preserved as a city representing the "Old South." The parts we saw were fascinating and full of history, much of it about the Civil War and the aftermath. I got a sampling of southern food and decided we were better off in the north. I couldn't quite come to terms with grits or soft shell crab, but I didn't mind pulled pork barbeque or fresh biscuits with honey.

I was leaving a lot of food on my plate since it seemed that every meal we had was far more than I could or should eat. I think some of the people who served us thought I didn't like their food, but I tried to assure them that my appetite was very small, just like me. That seemed to appease them and most of the time I was offered a "doggie bag" to take with me. I took that when I knew my hotel or motel room had a microwave.

I explained to Amanda and Mel what my medical situation was so that they wouldn't worry about me. They were both very understanding and tried to help where and when they could. I thought both of them were good people. In the meantime, my mid-meal snacks consisted of deli sandwiches and other healthy alternatives rather than fast food.

The ladies on my first trip were pretty good. They were all older women, ranging in age from mid-fifties to late seventies, I guessed. The tour was set up to cater to older women and I was surprised to find that some of them were married.

"Once in a while, I just have to get away for a while," one old dear said when I talked to her at a break. "I've been married to Homer for forty years and there isn't much he has to say that I haven't heard before. He hates to travel, so here I am, enjoying myself while he stays home and plays cards with his cronies."

I thought about that and wondered if that would be my fate as well. When you're married that long do you slip into patterns that repeat themselves over and over again? I sure as hell would want to avoid that. Beside, I did like to travel, so assuming Diane did as well, I wouldn't have the same problem. And that thought spawned an idea.

"Mel, do we have tours that feature families? You know, children included?"

"Sure. Disney World, Dollywood, Spring Training in Florida, Football specials, Spring Break."

"Would there be a way that I could bring my family along on a trip?"

"I don't see why not. A paying customer is a paying customer. I don't recommend it when you're the driver, but I don't think there's any rule against it. Talk to Warren. He'll know."

"Yeah, thanks. I'll do that." I was already thinking about taking the family to Disney World. That would be a winner for sure. I would wait a bit until I was established as a driver, but I wanted to talk to Warren Cloutier about company policy anyway, and that would lead me into the topic.

I was still full of energy when I pulled into our driveway on Friday afternoon. I had driven the last two afternoon shifts and felt good about handling the big bus in traffic and still listening for Mel's suggestions. He was the best man they could have put me with; really helpful and positive about my driving skills. I'll admit I wanted to impress him, but his compliments sounded genuine to me.

I didn't ring the bell or knock any more. I just put the key in the lock and walked in. We had come that far that I felt this was my home now, and I wanted to act like it was my home. Diane was out of the bedroom and into my arms in seconds.

"Welcome home," she smiled, kissing me soundly.

"It's good to be home. I had a great week, sweetheart. I think I'm going to love this new job."

"I'm really glad to hear that. Are you tired?"

"No, not really. I only drove two shifts, yesterday afternoon and this afternoon. I'm not tired at all."

"Good. Then you won't mind going out tonight. We've been invited to a house party at our neighbors, the Wilsons. I think most of the people on the block will be there, so you'll get to know more of the people in our neighborhood."

"Okay, as long as it's not too late. I don't want to miss out on our own private homecoming party," I grinned.

"Don't you worry about that. If you like, we can start early. The children won't be home for another hour."

"I think I better take a shower first, but I'll take you up on your offer when I'm all bright and shiny."

She followed me into the bedroom and shooed me into the bathroom after helping me undress. She would look after putting my clothes in the laundry and be waiting for me when I was done.

I didn't linger in the shower or spend a lot of time drying myself. I was ready to pounce on Diane and when I opened the door to the bedroom, she was ready to be pounced upon. She lay on her side, her head propped up on her hand, smiling as I walked out of the ensuite. Of course, she was naked as well.

I was mindful of the time that the children would be home, but I didn't want to rush. I approached her from the bottom of the bed and crawled up to her, gently pushing her legs apart. I feasted on her pussy for several minutes before she made it evident she wanted me up where she could see me.

"Now, Dougie. Fuck me now."

I was surprised, almost stunned, in fact. I had never heard Diane use that word. Never! But here she was, demanding I take her and in no uncertain terms. Despite my shock at her language, I moved on her and she looked after inserting my cock into her as quickly as she could. There was some urgency in her actions and I suppose that's why I was moving much more quickly and forcefully that I normally did.

"Oh yeah, oh yeah ... fuck me hard, Dougie," she cried.

I did what I could to oblige and her response told me I was succeeding. Her orgasm was pronounced and more vocal than usual. I came shortly after her and collapsed beside her on the bed.

"Welcome home, stud," she giggled.

"Damn, girl, you're hotter than a firecracker."

"Too much for you?" she teased.

"No! Never! If we had more time, I'd prove it to you."

She looked over at the clock. "There's still almost twenty minutes. Maybe I can re-load the fire hose for a quickie."

"I didn't leave you hanging, did I?" I asked, fairly confident I hadn't.

"No ... but you know the old saying: 'Some is good, more is better,'" she laughed.

"Why don't we save it for later? I'm not going anywhere for the next few days. We'll have plenty of play time."

"Okay, but you're missing out on taking advantage of a very horny woman."

"Well, maybe the kids will go out to play in the sunshine and we can fool around in the kitchen."

"Now you're talking. I guess I should put something on, but not too much," she grinned with an evil look.

"No point if it's just going to come off again," I agreed.

To Be Continued