I was driving home when I noticed a small girl on a school bus banging on the back glass in terror.
My entire universe came to a stop. Something was horribly wrong. But what danger could a young child face on a seemingly safe school bus? I chased the bus to find out, but my heart skipped a beat. As I drove home, the rain pounded my windshield, matching the sorrow in my heart. This had to be the worst day of my life.
First, my fiancé cancelled our wedding last week, and now I’d lost my job. My head was a jumble of ideas and emotions…”Stay calm, Mollie,” I muttered to myself, white knuckles on the driving wheel. “There has to be another way. If one door closes, another will open, correct?” However, the words felt empty. How could I go home and inform Mom that I had been laid off?
She would worry herself ill. She’d been my rock since Dad’s death, and I didn’t want to let her down. My phone vibrated for the fifth time. Mom again. I drove over to the curb and responded. “Yes, Mom, I’ll be there in ten minutes.” “I’m driving.” “Mollie, honey, did you see the weather forecast? A large storm is approaching. Please take care.” I swallowed hard. This storm was minor compared to the one raging within me.
“Don’t worry. “I will be there soon.” “Is everything alright?” “You sound off.” “I am fine, Mom. I am just… exhausted. I have to drive, okay? “I love you,” I said before hanging up. How could I tell her I had lost my job simply for speaking up to the bosses? They’d used the excuse of “not meeting quarterly targets,” but I knew the actual reason. “What’s the worst that could happen now?” I mumbled as I pushed the car back into gear.
Little did I realize that I was about to find out. As I returned to traffic, a yellow school bus roared passed me. Something caught my sight in the back window: a little girl with her face plastered against the glass and her tiny hands banging furiously. She cried out for aid. “What the…?” Oh, my God… Is she alright? I gave a gasp. Without thinking, I revved the engine and raced after the bus. The toddler was obviously distressed, but why? What risk may she face on an apparently safe school bus?
“I’m coming, sweetie,” I murmured, blasting my horn many times. The bus driver appeared clueless, driving along the road as if nothing was happening. Panic rose in my chest, and I made a snap decision. I swerved around the bus and cut in front, bringing it to a halt in the middle of the busy road.The driver, a large man with a thick black mustache, stormed out. “What kind of stunt are you performing, lady? “You could have caused an accident!”
I ignored him, racing by and boarded the bus. The cacophony struck me like a wall. The children gathered around the girl, shouting and laughing. I dashed to the back, where the small girl sat alone, her face now flushed and tear-stained. As I approached her, I froze. This was not what I expected at all.“Oh my God! Are you experiencing an asthma attack?
The tiny girl nodded furiously, her chest heaving as she battled to breathe. I knelt near her seat, my heart pounding. “What’s your name, sweetie?” I inquired, attempting to keep my voice quiet. She pointed to the ID card that hung around her neck. Her name was Chelsea. “Okay, Chelsea, we’ll get you aid. “Where is your inhaler?”Chelsea shook her head, unable to communicate. I looked up and saw that the driver had followed me, his face pallid.
“Do you know where her inhaler is?” He shakes his head. “I… I didn’t even realize she was experiencing problems. It’s so noisy back here that I can’t hear anything.” I choked back an angry response and began searching Chelsea’s backpack. Nothing. Panic gripped at my insides as I noticed the tiny girl’s lips grow blue.”Help me look!” I shouted at the driver.
We looked under the seats, down the aisle, and anywhere we could think of. To my astonishment, I noticed the other kids were laughing, with some even pointing at Chelsea. “This isn’t funny!” I snapped at them. “She needs help!” That’s when it struck me. I started snatching all of their backpacks, despite their protests. “Hey, you can’t do that!” A freckle-faced boy yelled.I discovered it in the third bag I checked: a blue inhaler bearing Chelsea’s name on it. I rounded on the boy who owned the backpack.
“Why do you have this?” He turned away and muttered, “It was just a joke.” “Is this a joke?” “She could’ve died!”I dashed back to Chelsea and helped her use the inhaler. Her breathing gradually became more regular, and the color returned to her face. I held her hand and said soothing words while she recovered. The driver stood there wringing his hands. “I’m very sorry. “I had no idea.”
I turned to him, my rage rising. “These children are your responsibility! You should have investigated what was going on when you heard a disturbance!”He nodded with guilt on his face. “You’re correct. “I am sorry.” Chelsea tugged at my sleeve, her voice barely audible. “Thank you.” Those two sentences struck me harder than everything else I had experienced that day. I could not leave her alone after this.
“I’m staying with you until we get you home, okay?” Chelsea nodded, a faint smile on her tear-stained face. I turned to face the driver. “I’m going to move my automobile and ride with her. “Is that okay?”He nodded swiftly. “Of course.” “It is the least we can do after… well, everything.” As I stepped off the bus to take my car to the nearby parking lot, I noticed my hands shaking. What a day that turned out to be.
Back on the bus, I sat next to Chelsea, a soothing arm across her shoulders. The other kids were unusually silent now, as the gravity of what had transpired had fully set in. “Why didn’t the other kids help you?” I asked gently. Chelsea’s bottom lip quivered. “They find it humorous that I can’t breathe. Sometimes they hide my inhaler. My heartbroke for her. “That isn’t okay, Chelsea. Do you know that?”
She nodded and looked down at her hands. “I try to be brave, but sometimes I get so scared.”I squeezed her shoulder. “You demonstrated incredible bravery today. You grabbed my attention when you needed assistance. That requires a great deal of bravery. Her lips formed a faint smile. “Really?” “Really. “You are one of the bravest people I’ve ever met.”
Two stops later, Chelsea gestured to the window. “That’s my mommy and daddy!”Chelsea’s parents came over to greet us as we got off the bus, their faces filled with confusion. “Chelsea, who’s this?” her mother inquired, her gaze wary. Chelsea’s voice became stronger as she said, “This is Mollie. “She saved my life.” Chelsea’s parents’ responses ranged from confusion to appreciation to anger at the bus driver, the other kids, and the event as a whole.
“I don’t know how to thank you,” Chelsea’s father remarked through tears. “I’m just glad I was there to help.” Mrs. Stewart, Chelsea’s mother, insisted on driving me back to the car. As we arrived in the mall parking lot, the skies opened up and rain fell in sheets. “So, Mollie,” Mrs. Stewart asked me over the rain-streaked window, “what do you do?”I gave out a sour laugh. “It’s funny you should ask. “I lost my job today.” Mrs. Stewart’s eyebrows rose. “Oh, I’m very sad to hear that. Can I inquire what happened?”
I sighed as the events of the day washed over me again. “I spoke up about several unethical practices. They didn’t like it, so they devised a reason to let me go.” Mrs. Stewart was silent for a moment. Then she explained, “You see, my husband and I own a small business. We might have an opening. Would you like to come in for an interview?
I squinted, unsure if I had heard her correctly. “Are you serious?”She smiled. “Absolutely. Anyone who will go to such lengths to assist a child in need is someone I’d like to have on my team.” As we approached my car, the rain had reduced to a sprinkle. Mrs. Stewart handed me a business card. “Call me tomorrow,” she stated. “We’ll set something up.”
I held the card, a flicker of hope starting in my chest. Thank you. “I will.” The next morning, I felt lighter than I had in weeks. I told Mom everything that had happened. Concerns include job loss, saving Chelsea, and prospective new opportunities. She had hugged me tightly, pride showing in her eyes. “I always knew you were meant for great things, darling!”
As I rang the number on Mrs. Stewart’s card, my heart raced again, but with excitement rather than terror.The next morning, I felt lighter than I had in weeks. I told Mom everything that had happened. Concerns include job loss, saving Chelsea, and prospective new opportunities. She had hugged me tightly, pride showing in her eyes. “I always knew you were meant for great things, darling!”
As I rang the number on Mrs. Stewart’s card, my heart raced again, but with excitement rather than terror. As I hung up the phone, I felt tears well up in my eyes. But for the first time in a long time, the tears were ones of joy rather than despair. I was overjoyed and recognized that it is true: When God closes one door, He always opens another. And sometimes that new door takes you to places you never dreamed.