* Note this story and series are a work of fiction. The characters are based on real people and some real events. There are references to minors. The sections with adult content and language that will take place in later parts of the series never take place directly in front of, within earshot or site of any minors. These sections are entirely fiction.
My name is John. One of my part time jobs for several years has been a school bus driver. I started out just needing a job. I stuck with it in the early years and took other part time jobs for some extra income. Now, 10 plus years later it's more of a career. I enjoy the job, being part of a child's day, and being there every day for them consistently since I saw them take time off. I am committed to my job both personally and financially now that I am vested in a retirement system too.
Over the years I have developed my own categories for the outfits parents wear while waiting with their children at the bus stop. I have broken them down into several categories.
Category 1: "Behind Closed Doors"
These are the parents who I hardly see. They wave from a window, maybe it's a house/door/porch window. It may also be from the porch itself or possibly the garage if the stop happens to be in front of the house or within proximity of the house. It also includes their car if they drive their child to the stop. They all wave to the bus as it pulls up and as the kids get on. They wave bye again before the bus pulls away. The ones from inside the house then close the blinds/curtain, the door, or go back inside. The "Car Parents" put the driver window up, if it was open, and then follow the bus down the street on their way to wherever they're going. I really couldn't tell you what they look like and I'm sure they would say the same if asked what I look like.
Category 2: "Neighborhood Socials".
These parents walk with the kids to the bus stop. The parents all chat. I'm assuming about neighborhood gossip or maybe the kids. Their attire is relatively modest. It may be jeans, shorts, or gym wear (dads in basketball shorts or moms in yoga pants) They often look like they're off to the gym once the kiddos are off the school. If they actually go on a walk or hit up the gym after the kids leave is to be determined. Perhaps they just find the wardrobe comfortable for running errands, working from home, or household chores.
Category 3: "The Professionals".
They are generally dressed up in professional business attire or business casual attire. They always look nice like they're going to an office for work. They are generally pretty social. They walk or drive to the stop but l, they get out of the car and chat to others at the stop and myself as the driver.
Category 4; "The Trashy Type".
These are the folks who wear things that they shouldn't. Things like pants that are too small so it creates a muffin top or accentuates a beer belly. Maybe a shirt that looks too short because of a large stomach. It may even be booty shorts or jean shorts that are forced over the wrong kind of booty. So tight it forces the wearers butt cheeks to hang out or cause rolls. In each case it is something about thier shape, choice of outfit, or the fit of said outfit that causes the choice of it to expose things that probably should not be exposed, put on display, and be seen in public, especially around young children. To give you a visual imagine pictures you have seen in one of those Shoppers of Walmart shame photos.
Category 5: "The Pajama Group"
These parents walk to stop wearing thjngs like pajamas, sweatpants, shorts (if weather permits and there are some exceptions), and loose or worn out items. I guess it can be described as loungewear. They also seem to be the most friendly group. They say hello and wave, make a casual conversation with me as the driver while all the kids are boarding and finding a seat. They appear chatty with other parents at the bus stop and are usually holding cup of coffee while sipping it occasionally. I even get a coffee cup raise for a hello and a second raise as a goodbye. I guess they are confident and comfortable in their own skin to the point that pajamas and loungewear are comfortable enough to wear in public and not care how others judge them. Unlike the previous category this group covers the "not for public display" items.
Category 6: "The Hybrids"
A relatively new category. Although, it probably has existed to some extent for some time but, there was never enough of a percentage for it to stand by itself. It earned its spot post COVID-19. Prior to the pandemic, it was believed that in order to be productive a business needed to have an office building for a bunch of people who needed to leave their house every morning, work all day, and then drive home each afternoon. COVID-19 forced many businesses to have their employees work from home if possible. They then discovered that productivity was not affected when people worked from home. In fact, some places saw an increase in their productivity. Companies with large amounts of staff that worked in an office also saw a huge cost savings. After all, they were consuming less electricity, they didn't have to supply paper products, toilet paper & soap for the bathrooms, and their other utility decreased too.
Employers didn't need to have everybody be at the office every single day. Some businesses even downsized the size of their office space which meant that all the employees could not fit in their facility at one time. With some businesses still needing to have employees in the office, at least a few days a week the number of parents that fell into this category increased enough where it deserves its own category.
Each bus stop has a mix of all the categories. Certain categories are more prevalent at certain stops but, like I said, each has a mix. The mix has become more prevalent with COVID-19 restrictions ending and more parents working from home.
I mentioned these categories and bring them all up because you get used to seeing an individual in a certain setting and outfit or style of dress. One of my other jobs is a tour bus driver. I've often changed out of that uniform to walk around somewhere. I've stood in lines right next to passengers I know I just drove there. They do not recognize me and I don't engage unless they happen to recognize me. The same thing seems to be a school bus driver. Parents do not recognize me outside the bus. I guess the bus and seat are part of my outfit, perhaps a "coat". I take off my "coat" when I get off work. So, if I happen to see them I usually avoid a conversation. In either case it just becomes an awkward situation.
This brings me to how I became friends with Amanda. One Wednesday, after I was done with my morning route I had some errands and a few things to take care of. It was about 10:15am or so when I got to Target. I was shopping with my cart when I saw a woman with her back to me. From the back she looked HOT to me literally and physically! It appeared that she had just come from the gym since she was in gym attire but, I am not 100% sure. She was about 5'1'' tall, just short enough or tall enough depending on how you look at it. Either way her stature made her look cute and hot to me. She had curves in the right places.
She was wearing a white hoodie sweatshirt with a Nike logo that stopped in the middle of her ass. She had tight Nike leggings with the word Nike down her left leg, her shoes were black and white Nike Air 360s, her socks were black with white Nike Swish logo on the back heel, and she completed the outfit with a white Nike baseball that had a black brim. Her blonde hair in a pony tail hanging out the back of the hat. I'm a huge Nike fan. I also like to see when the wearer matches everything and coordinates the colors in each outfit. Having OCD also means matching brands too.
We see people who from the back or front look great but then we realize some things look better on the other side or from a far distance. I didn't want to jump to conclusions but, I need a better look. My fears set in. I got a case of the "what if's". What if she looks great from the back but is wearing so much makeup ahe looks clown? What if she was missing teeth? Although unlikely, what if "she" wasn't a "She" but a "he"? Anything was possible. I needed a better look. So I turned on the adjacent aisle, quickly walked down, made two rights to head back up the aisle. Hopping she was still there. Nothing else mattered, I was on a mission. I got about halfway up the aisle so I was able to keep my distance and started to pretend to look for something while trying to be subtle and inconspicuous with my glances. So far, she was still looking gorgeous. It was at that point I noticed she was trying to get something from the top shelf but it was just beyond her reach. I was going to offer to help. I didn't need to though. She began to look around, I quickly looked back to the shelf to not get caught staring. That's when she spotted me. Being 6'1" she must have figured I would help. She made her way to me. I pretended I didn't see her heading toward me.
"Excuse me sir, you look nice and tall. Would you mind reaching for me?" She asked
I sort of recognized her voice but, I wasn't sure, I wasn't looking at this point. I looked around the isle to just see the two of us. She was talking to me. As I turned and saw her face, I knew who she was. I see her every school day morning. She is one of the hybrid wardrobe parents. I played it off pretending to not recognize her and hoped she wouldn't recognize me.
