Aiden came running toward the bus, waving a piece of paper.
“It’s for you!” he said breathlessly.
A crayon drawing—me standing beside the bus, surrounded by smiling children holding gloves and scarves. At the bottom, in shaky letters: “Thank you for keeping us warm. You’re my hero.”
I taped it next to my steering wheel and look at it every morning.
Two weeks later, a woman approached me by the bus.
“I’m Claire Sutton,” she said. “Aiden’s aunt. He won’t stop talking about you.”
She handed me an envelope—a thank-you card and a gift card.
“For whatever you need,” she said. “For yourself or the kids. We trust your judgment.”
Then came the spring assembly. They invited me, which never happens for a bus driver. Kids sang “You’ve Got a Friend in Me”, and afterward, Mr. Thompson called me up front.
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