The rules on the bus
Melina got up as she was on house crew this week as here the schedule didn't get divided by a two week rotation but a weekly rotation. They were paid twenty five dollars a month which was a five dollar raise from the last group home she worked in. She signed in her begining hour in the crew book and went to start breakfast.
Since she had to make breakfast that meant she had to wake up earlier then the rest of the girls to start breakfast for the sixteen girls that lived in the home. That also meant she was last to shower since she was up earlier the other girls had the hot shower water as it was first come first serve. Some of the girls that had hot combs woke up earlier to take advantage of the stove eye to heat up their combs to fix their hair in the morning before breakfast. On week days you were to be fully dressed . Beds and side of the room fully cleaned and ready for breakfast at six thirty in the morning not a minute more.
Food had to be cooked. Table had to be set . And as the girls were dismissed from breakfast the table had to be cleared and dishes washed before Melina was allowed to get dressed for the day. The girls who were on breakfast duty wore there house clothes to avoid smelling like food .
On the weekends Melina had to do this three times a day plus sweet and mop the hallways. Dust the furniture and sweep off the porches and from time feed the family pet which belonged to the house parents but was allowed to roam the ranch. At seven o clock the girls met at the flag pole for morning prayers and the raising of the American flag to represent their patriotic devotion.
Then they waited for the bus. A bus that was filled with the system kids maybe a few neighbors kids but the system took up the majority of the bus. Melina had a bus driver who hated grooming on the school bus and if she caught you grooming she would pull the bus over make you get off the bus and complain you were making everyone late. It was mainly simply because each bus driver was responsible for cleaning and maintaining their business and she hated to clean. So no food . No drink. No snacks. And absolutely no grooming. She didn't even want you touching the windows she left down all year long to avoid finger prints and germs. If you were cold wear a jacket. One day Paula disregarded this rule as she thought she was going to do what she wanted .Paula had gotten in the habit of wearing a button up shirt as she would unbottom the bottom three and tie it up to reveal her thinly anerexic looking stomach thinking her ribs was considered flattering. The few neighbors boys would flock to her as she and Scarlett set in the back trying to sport their slutty look. But would fix it when they got off the bus in the afternoon before returning to the ranch. This was the type of nonsense Paula would do thinking it would get her some attention she wanted. It was a hot day September as she realized it was already close to eighty degrees as she thought the heat made her hair fall as she took at her brush five minutes before the bus was to leave the school thinking miss harris the bus driver wouldn't mind since they were almost about to leave so she thought it didn't matter five minutes. Miss harris started to crank the bus as she saw this as she turned it off to march down the aisle to scold her . " And what do you think your doing little girl. Do you think the rules do not apply to you!" Scolded the angry Miss harris a tall African American woman that moved the bus as she rotated her wide hips left and right to walk down the aisle .
Then she heard it . A slip of some finishing a juice box as she looked around to narrow her eyes at Keisha . Keisha was drinking a juice box on her bus as she stood in front of her. She looked down at the defiant girl as she yanked up the juice box as Keisha protested." That was mine. Give it back !" Yelled keisha as Miss harris looked at her in anger.
" What part of no food or drinks on my bus did you not understand. You know that all your going to do is litter on my bus. Are you going to clean up after yourself . No because you can't follow simple rules you won't be able to do simple tasks." Nipped the bus driver.
" I was hot I needed a drink . Black people absorb heat. " Said the little girl not knowing her ignorance at what she said. The bus looked at Keisha as she was serious about her statement. " What was that say that one more time?" Coaxed Miss harris. Thinking she heard it wrong. " I said black girls absorb more heat . I needed something to drink." She repeated herself as she heard a laugh come from the now amused miss harris .
" No. The color black absorbs more heat not the race black. Please don't ever say that out loud again . " Laughed Miss harris as she corrected the little girl who wasn't willing to admit she was wrong.
" I know what I am talking about?" Said Keisha as the bus began to laugh at her stubborness.
" No you don't. Please pay attention in school because no where in science does it say little black girls absorb heat. I know because I was a little black girl once and I never absorbed heat." Said Miss harris as the bus burst out in laughter.
Keisha narrowed her eyes in embarrassment and said to Miss harris
" well your fat, and old ,and ugly. " She said in a heated frustration determined to get the last word of this argument.
Miss harris began to laugh as she replied." I may be fat,old,and ugly but at least I'm not stupid enough to think black girls absorb heat. Stay in school. Learn something other than this nonsense you think you know. " As the bus driver headed back to the front completely forgetting about Paula attempting to groom herself in the backseat of her bus. At this juncture it was the lesser of the two evils at this point. The bus began to snicker and whisper as all eyes were on Keisha at the moment.
Upset kiesta started screaming in embarrassment." Shut up all you ugly idiots. You are all stupid,and ugly,and fat heads !" She said as she was upset she was wrong. " Just shut up all of you your mamas are all bald and they don't love you and . And.and." huffed Keisha as she begin to fish for relevant insults that made her sound like she won the fight she clearly lost .
" Larameeka get your little sister before I get her. " Instructed Miss harris as larameeka sat beside her sister to calm her down as she tried to calm her little sister down at no avail . Keisha was angry and frustrated she was embarrassed as instead of learning a lesson about her ignorance she thought she had put up a good fight but in fact the fight has made her look childish and dumb . Miss harris shook her head at the little girl as she sighed as Miss harris went to start the bus. Keisha glared at Miss harris with hate in her heart the entire ride home.
And miss harris glared back through her big oval mirror that could see the entire bus. Larameeka tried to hush the other girls and kids from laughing at kiesha more as she would get mad again all over again and snap dirty looks trying to warn people not to mess with her little sister. The bounds of family runs deep even when they are wrong.