The Bus Ride

So this blog is long over due. Maybe three months? A whole lifetime seems to have happened in three months. Most of that time I didn’t feel well enough to get on here and then when I did feel good I had a house load of work crying out for my attention. Although it’s more fun to write on my blog then fold laundry well, my duties come first. I still have laundry to fold but I hurt my back so I am on here, relaxing instead.

   While I was tired and worn out from this pregnancy and sick with nausea I found comfort in reading my Bible and appreciating the blessings God has given me. I would sit down on the sofa  holding back my gags and enjoy watching my little girls playing together. Running around me in circles while screaming like wild Indians, wrestling, fighting over a new toy, or just sharing Mommys lap.  This time of my life is such a sweet precious time. I love it that they play together like sisters should.  It makes me think of my sister, we are not close in age in fact Damara is 8 ½ years older then me. She just turned 40 a couple of weeks ago and I have been wanting to write about a trip I had with her almost 12 years ago, for quite some time now.

    Damara and James were going to adopt twins that were in Michigan and they were due to be born in a month. I was 19 and Damara decided to go up there by traveling in bus, and I had the privelage of going with her. We were going to pick up my new little niece and nephew and bring them home!  Oh! We were so excited and what a trip! Damara and I always had fun together, we prepared snacks and drinks and entertainment. As we climbed up on that stinky bus we were all smiles. As we were passing roles and roles of tired and sorta sad looking people looking for our seats I still was excited, we were prepared, we were ready! Ready for 36 hours of pour fun! What could go wrong!? 

   We sat down and the bus started, the fresh stinch of unwashed bodies filled my nostrils, but I didn’t care we were on the adventure of a lifetime! We started talking and laughing, reading books, playing games together, making sunbrewed ice-less tea and watching the static of a portable little TV. After a little while we both were looking around glancing at our watches and wishing we could stretch our legs a little. I was used to riding buses in Mexico and everytime down there when I would get tired I would just stand up and walk around a little so I tried that there. I stood up and started walking, awe! That felt good. Then I was startled to hear a loud and frusterated voice coming from the front of the bus. It was the driver.

 “Ma’am, please take your seat you are not allowed to move around while the vehicle is in motion!’ My face turned red and I sat down feeling very little and very young.

   We were both very disappointed, and as the hours started rolling by our moods started changing. There was a kid behind us that kept on coughing and coughing, and complaining that he was thirsty. His poor mother couldn't do anything because she had nothing to drink. I looked down at my depleting supply of water. People who know me, know that I drink A LOT of water and going thirsty is my worst fear of all. I'm pretty sure I had tears in my eyes as I turned around and offered some of my water to the suffering child.
   Time creeped by and after a while just seemed to stand still. Everybody else had already fallen asleep and so out of sheer boredom I did too. After a while I was startled awake by a sharp elbow in my side.

  “Whaaaa?” It was Damara. “Wake up!” she said so I rubbed my eyes and looked around. It was dark and everybody else was still asleep.

   “Why?” I asked.

  “Because I can’t sleep, and I am lonely”

   Ok. I sat up and tried to think through the fog of my sleepy brain for a conversation starter. Nothing. Within minutes I was asleep again. She woke me up again. “My body aches”

 “So does mine! I think I am going to go to the bathroom just so that I can have an excuse to walk around.”

  I did just that, but I didn’t tarry in there long. I came back pretty fast. My face was a little green.

  “Ewe!” I whispered to my sister. “It is nasty in there! I’m going to wait till we stop next to use the bathroom.” And I did just that.

  We stopped at a gas station and EVERYBODY hurried out, first ones out of the bus were the ones with the sharpest elbows. I was last. I was the last one in the long line of ladies waiting to go to the bathroom. The bus driver was heading back to his spot behind the wheel and I still hadn’t gone yet! I started to panic and when the person that was in front of me finally came out I was flying in there. When I got out I was running, and when I got to the spot where the bus was suppose to be- it was gone.
   Whaaa!  It had only moved a few feet. Fortunately Damara was looking out for her little sister and when the bus started and I wasn’t on it she rushed up to the front and stopped the driver.

  “Wait! My sister is still in the bathroom!”

  The driver was a no-nonsense kind of a guy and didn’t appreciate my tardiness. I ran around the corner and climbed up into the bus applogizing. He just grunted and shook his head in disapproval.

   We took our seats and the long boring process of doing nothing started back up. I slept a lot because since it was night time there was nothing to look at and well, back then I could fall asleep faster then the drop of a hat. Poor Damara, she was in insomnia misery.
     After a few more hours had crawled by we stopped again and everybody started piling out of the motorized misery. I sharpened my elbows and made SURE I was not the last one out. I looked over and Damara was finally asleep. Good, she needed it. I used the restroom and even had time to buy a few snacks. Then when I saw the crowd moving I ran out to the bus determined not to be the last one in again. As I got to my seat Damara was not there. I had assumed that she had gone inside to use the restroom also. I got nervious as the crowd of people tumbled in and when all the dust had settled the only empty seat was hers. Oh no! The engine was starting! I jumped out of my seat to recue my sister.

  “Wait!” I called out to the grouchy driver. “My sister is still in the bathroom out there”

  He turned in his seat and looked at me, recognizing me he growled and I could tell he was contemplating throwing my sister and me off his precious bus- uh, at least that was what I feared. Thankfully he stopped and we both turned our heads to the gas station door, waiting for Damara to come out.

   Mean time what I didn’t know is that Damara had not gotten out at all but had awakend and decided to use the bus bathroom because she also feared not getting back in time. That bus driver was scary! As she was coming down the aisle she saw me standing by the driver and both of us looking intently out the window. She came up behind me and leaned over trying to see what we were looking at. I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye and turned around.

  “Damara!” The bus driver turned too and saw her. I think his face turned a couple of shades of red with anger as he turned the engine on and headed out.
   It wasn't over yet. We had to change buses in Chicago and had to wait outside in the wind and freezing cold, it was November and it was really COLD. We were afraid of missing the next bus so we staid outside for way over an hour. That wasn't very good for us Texan girls. a few days later we were sick with a fever and ear infections.

    Needless to say, it was a long drive. By the time we got there we had both aged a couple of decades and our rear ends were sore for days. We vowed never to take a long bus ride ever again! Yet, then again I know that neither Damara nor I would change that time in our life for anything. A lot of times the most memoriable and precious memories we have are the ones that were not so perfect at the time.

This is Damara, James and their sweetheart twins

Tiffany and Jared

    I was trying to think of a Scripture verse that would go good with this story and non come to mind so I will just leave with the thought of one of my favorite verses of all times.

The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him. Nahum 1:7