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The alarm rings. It is six o'clock. Maniam gets up
wearily. It is the start of another day ferrying
school kids to
and from school. At six-thirty, after a hurried bath, Maniam starts his
old 22-seater bus and moves off. He goes along a regular
route picking up children to send to various schools. By
seven, all the regular children, except one who is ill, is on
the bus. Maniam drives carefully through the busy roads.
He stops at four different schools, dropping off
some children at each. He plans his drive carefully so as to reach the last
school by seven-thirty. Otherwise some children will be late for school and he
gets the blame.
At seven-thirty two, his bus is empty and the roads are magically less
congested. Most of the children are in the classrooms. Maniam stops by at a
stall to have his breakfast.
Come eleven-thirty, he picks up other school children for the afternoon
session. By twelve-thirty he has sent all the children to the schools safely.
At one o'clock he collects his first batch of children from a school. Then he
proceeds to three other schools to collect the others. After collecting the
children he sends them home.
Maniam has lunch at home and takes a nap. At three o'clock he cleans up the
bus.
At six in the evening, Maniam goes on his last round of collecting the
children from the schools. He safely sends them home by seven thirty. Then
Maniam goes home, takes a bath, has dinner and watches television for a while
before retiring to bed. Thus end yet another day in the life of a bus driver. |
