Monday, April 24, 2006

As The Wheel Turns

Well today was my first day of actual bus driving. So I load this guy on the bus, and his wheelchair is this rickety old thing that looks like absolute shit, and I ask why the VA doesn't spring for something manufactured after the early 30's and he says that he's grown accustomed to it and won't switch to one of them new fangled modern contraptions.

He's a WWII Veteran so I just yes-sir'd his ass as I manuevered 300 lbs of guy onto the ramp that would lift him into the bus. The bus I was driving wasn't exactly brandy new either and we reached a point whereby I had to give one huge ass tug to pull him inside, and I swear to all the gods that Lisa's words..."Easy now, remember, things break," flickered lickspittle through my peabrain as the handle flew from the wheelchair and deposited it, he, the chair, and myself akimbo.

Akimbo isn't all it's cracked up to be so I dusted everything off that looked like it could use one, secured him with enough belts and chains and hooks to dock the Queen frickin Mary, and off we rode into the sunset.

Driving the bloody thing is the easiest part of the deal. Dealing with cantankerous machinery makes ME cantankerous, and try driving places you've never been before with a cranky old man or two or three or a dozen all barking directions at the same time.

Yeah, I loved it.

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