Night Bus Ride Home:

I happened to look up at the clock and notice how late it was getting. I turned to Kat.

“Kat, it’s time to go,” I said. She looked up at her black and white cat clock on the back wall. 7:45 all ready.

“So it is,” she said. “I still have some paperwork to finish up. Hmm…” Kat glanced over at us. “Can I trust you guys to take the bus home by yourselves?” We looked at her with big eyes.

“What?!?” Lyle asked.

“I can’t accompany you lot at the moment,” Kat said. “You’ll have to go home without me tonight. Do you understand?” We didn’t speak at first. Lyle pressed his lips together.

“Alright,” he said. I looked over at him.

“We’ve never rid alone at night,” I said.

“Claudia, look at me,” Kat said. I turned to her. She lowered her pen.

“You and your brother will be safe tonight,” Kat told us. “Just remember what I said. I will even walk you to the bus station.”

“You promise?” I asked. Kat nodded at us. I looked up at Lyle. He gave me the same reassurance. I rolled my shoulders a bit.

“Already,” I said. Kat closed up her book and rose to her feet.

“Let’s go,” she said. The three of us filed out to the hallway. Most of the professors had gone home for the night. Only a couple of night classes and clubs were going on in this building. I can’t imagine why anyone would want to go to school at night.

“Sometimes that’s the only time students can go,” Kat told me one day when I asked her.

“Why?” I asked.

“Some of them work and sometimes this is the only time that is available for them,” she replied. I hope I never end up having to take night classes. I couldn’t do it. The evening sun still shone in the sky when we made it out to the station. The sky had just started to get dim. Not many people were at the stop tonight. Just a few students and an old lady. I looked down the path between the campus parking garage and the Catholic to see the city itself. Molly’s café had gone into their night shift. I had coffee from there once, it’s too sweet for me. Lyle still laughs at me about that.

“Something is too sweet for Claudia the Sweets Monster?!?” he asked. “The world is coming to an end!”

“Shut up,” I told him. My thoughts came back to present day when the Frog Route bus pulled up in the campus circle. Lyle let up to his feet and I walked over to him and Kat. The bus pulled to a stop and opened its doors.

“This bus serves the Frog Route,” the recording said in German as Lyle and I got on board. Kat stood in the doorway, watching us.

“Call me when you get home,” she said.

“Okay,” Lyle and I said together. Kat backed up before the bus doors drew closed to pull away into the coming night. I sat back in the front sideways seat.

“Here we are,” I said.

“Yeah,” Lyle said. I looked around on the bus. Nobody else on tonight. Okay, I hadn’t expected this at all. We’re going home alone and on the bus all alone at that. I looked over at the bus driver. He glanced back at us in his rearview mirror.

“Heading home?” he asked.

“Ja,” Lyle said. “Looks like you’re our private bus driver tonight.” I nodded as I tried to make myself smile. The driver gave us a puzzled look.

“How old are you kids?” he asked.

“I’m nine,” said Lyle.

“Seven,” I mumbled. The driver gave us a low whistle.

“Whoa, aren’t you a little bit young to be riding the bus alone at night?” he asked.

“Kat trust us,” Lyle answered.

“Does she now?” the driver asked.

“Yep,” my brother said.

“I see,” our driver said. We turned onto Hamburg Street. The street lights blinked as we passed by them. I turned to my brother.

“Lyle,” I said.

“Hm?” he asked me.

“Do you think Germany will be invaded?”

“I doubt it.”

“Why is that?”

“We still don’t know much about the ‘enemy’ as they keep saying. It’s all just speculation.”

“What does ‘speculation’ mean?”

“A guess.”

“Ah.”

“Why do you ask about the ‘war’?”

I only shrugged. “Just asking.” The bus passed Martin Hall Awning.

“Why do they keep asking about our dad, Lyle?”

“It’s just one of those things.”

“What things?”

“Like us being English in Germany. Or why we call Kat ‘Kat’ and not mom. Or why we practically come and go without a thought. I could go on all night.”

“Okay.” The bus pulled up at the stop light.

“How long do we have before school gets out?”

“Ten more days.”

“That’s too long.” The bus passed Chang Dynasty restaurant.

“Why do they have a Chinese restaurant in Germany?”

“Same reason that Chinese food is everywhere else.”

“I don’t like Chang Dynasty’s food. It’s too greasy.”

“Yeah.” The bus went past the high school in the area.

“Who’s Jane. Your girlfriend?”

Lyle’s cheeks redden faster than the school’s internet. “She’s not my girlfriend!”

I smirked at him. “Ah! You like her!”

“I do not!”

“Yes you do.”

“Shut up! She’s just a friend, okay? She’s just a friend!”

I smirked at him. “Sure she is!”

“Shut up!”

I only laugh out loud at him. The bus passed the big Kaufland before it pulled to a stop. We stood up and got off the bus.

“Thank you,” I said to the bus driver.

“You’re welcome,” he said. The driver closed his doors and pulled away. Lyle tapped my arm to get my attention. I turned and looked at him.

“Hold my hand, okay?” he asked. I gave him an odd look.

“But it’s our neighborhood and the street lights are on,” I said.

“Even so, hold my hand,” he insisted. I rolled my eyes at him.

“Fine,” I grumbled. I took his hand and we walked down the well-lit street. Once we reached the front door of our house, Lyle unlocked the door and opened it to let us in. After we got into the living room, my brother pulled out his phone and dialed Kat.

“Hey Kat,” I heard Lyle said. “We’re home. Yes, we’re just fine. Love you. Bye.” He hung up the phone. Lyle looked over at me.

“Now what?” I asked. He shrugged at me.

“Get right for bed, I guess,” he said. I frowned at my brother.

“Do I have to?” I complained.

“Yes,” Lyle said. I sighed out loud.

“Fine,” I mumbled. Then, I turned and walked down the hall. He followed behind me. I glanced over my shoulder at him.

“You don’t have to monitor me, you know,” I said. “I’m not a little baby.”

“I’m not,” he insisted. “The bathroom is the same direction you’re going.” I turned back to the front. Right…, I thought to myself. At least, I’ll watch Punch and Judy in Kat’s room while I eat marzipan mozartkugeln after my bath. Oh yes.

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