x365: 12 of 365: Kim on the bus

Maybe my school district was poor. Maybe we were short a bus. Whatever the reason, we didn't have a short bus for the shortbus kids. So they rode along with the rest of us. The driver would drop us off and take the handicapped kids off to their school. I'd say goodbye when I got off the bus. Goodbye Paul. Bye Bonnie. See ya Kim.

You were best known for developing serial crushes on each boy who took the bus. I knew my turn was coming when you handed me a piece of paper and a pencil and told me to write my name on it. The rocking of the bus as it drove down the back roads made a hash of my attempts to write out my name neatly, but you giggled sweetly when I gave you the paper and pencil back. The next day you passed me a note:

Dear Palinode,

I like you

You are going bowling with me on Tuesday

Yes

No

Kim

You had reproduced my written name with great care, even including the jolts and skitters. Did you trace it? Best of all, you had drawn little checkboxes beside the 'yes' and 'no' options, presumably to make the process easier for both of us. When I told you I already had a girlfriend, you nodded and said "I know". Then you smiled and turned back to face the front, which made me think that you had possibly included me in your round of crushes out of politeness. That was nice of you.