Lost and Found

As you may recall, The T rides the Rural Rocket metro system about 65 miles thataway to get to work twice a week. She is out of the house before the rising of the sun, cats or myself. I love hearing about her adventures on the bus with other educator-type folks (who sleep during the ride, each under their own blankie) and the students who jump on closer to the destination. Just for clarification: the bus that she is on at 6 am is the late bus. Sheesh.

The Story of the Day, Take 1
A kid left his books on the bus. The T was asked if she could return them the next day. Sure, she says. ...and this is where the story ends? Not in my world.

The Story of the Day, Take 2, as told by The T
A woman from the front of the bus, after talking to the driver, approached me and asked if I was returning to End of the Line the next day. They weren't sure if the books belonged to the school or the library or whatever but maybe the kid could be tracked down, at least. I saw the student's name in the front of the middle school math textbook and said I would return the items. Then I saw what else was left behind. Tucked in the book were four pages of lined paper with his name written neatly at the top. There was also two pages of graph paper attached. The sharpened pencil with a new eraser was also in the pile. This kid hadn't just left books on the bus, he left behind an entire math kit. So I did his homework.

Apparently it was the sharpened pencil that sucked The T in and made doing the assignment irresistible. If the pencil were dull, so she claims, she could have let it alone. Once again, a geek is trapped by the allure of finely honed graphite. This kid is going to go from possibly freaking out a little because he misplaced his belongings (the neatness is what makes me think he cared about this homework) to a feeling a little joy about getting them back—with the included gift from the Math Fairy. I predict a rise in student ridership and forgotten textbooks once word gets out.