Amanda’s Chile Moments

I had been waiting there for 45 minutes. Yes, at a bus stop. Where else?

And I had all three kids with me. Megan was strapped on my front. Jenna was asleep in the stroller. Rachel was bouncing all over the place, still under the influence of her coloring-laced antibiotic from last week.

It took 25 minutes till the first bus came. And went. Without stopping.

Ten minutes later, another bus passed us as I frantically waved it down. To no avail.

The third guy stopped after I stepped out into the street (He was a good way back, I promise, I’m not suicidal) and waved him down. 

I lifted the stroller into the wide entry and scanned my bus card. I started to roll my child down to the wide-open handicapped and stand-room-only space. I said “Thank you for stopping for me,” to the driver. I was going to be a duck, and just let the water roll off my back. It wasn’t going to affect my day that the other two drivers didn’t stop. Then the driver spoke up.

“They didn’t stop for you because you have a stroller,” he said. “Strollers are prohibited.”

WHAAAT??? “So how would you suggest that I bring my three children on the bus without a stroller?” I asked, trying REALLY hard to not get mad at the guy. After all, HE had stopped for me, right?

“I suggest you leave them home with the maid next time.”

Typical.

“Don’t you think that if I could afford to have a full-time maid to watch my kids, I would just buy a car?” I said. 

“Whatever,” the driver said. “I can’t talk about this now. I have to drive.”

Yeah, but at the next stop his buddy got on, and it didn’t seem to bother him to talk then.

I figure some bus drivers still let me on with my stroller, and I can’t figure out any other way to carry a baby and a napping preschooler on a bus. Pretty soon it will start getting winter and rainy and cold, and then maybe the dollar will be stronger and I can take a taxi.