"You'll be riding bus number 62," she said as they went down the sidewalk. They stopped at one of the busses. "This is the bus you'll be riding. See, number 62. Mr. Barnes is the driver, and when you're on his bus, you have to sit quietly and do just what he tells you."
They walked over to the door of the bus and the man sitting inside pulled on a lever and the door opened.
"Hi," he said with a big grin. "What can I do for you, Mrs. Jackson?"
"Mr. Barnes, this is Baartock."
"Hi Baartock. Are you going to be on my bus?"
"Yes," Mrs. Jackson answered, before Baartock could say anything. "I'm taking him home today, because I need to talk to his mother. He'll be riding with you, starting tomorrow morning. He'll be just down from where the Howards used to live."
"OK. That would put you between Bobby Gill and Laura Robinson. No problem."
"Thank you," said Mrs. Jackson. Baartock hadn't seen Mr. Barnes give her anything, and he wondered why she said 'thank you'.
"I have to gather up a few things before I take you home," said Mrs. Jackson. "Let's go back to the office."
"See you tomorrow," called Mr. Barnes, as they walked away. Baartock had wanted to stay and look at the school bus, but he followed her back inside the school.