The school bus arrived at the school, and the driver brought it to a stop, releasing a sharp hissing sound from the brakes.
In an instant, the children rushed out of the bus toward Miss Emily — the teacher of the first and second grades — whom they all loved dearly.
It was the last month of the school year, their second year with Miss Emily, which meant it would be their final class with her. So, they had all agreed to bring her gifts before saying goodbye. Some brought books, others beautifully shaped pens, and some brought chocolate bars. Miss Emily loved all of the gifts.
Suddenly, a little girl began to cry loudly, saying she had forgotten her gift at home. Miss Emily gently comforted her, saying, "You are the best gift of all."
But in truth, the girl hadn't forgotten her gift. The school bus driver had stolen it — a golden-colored wristwatch, elegant in design and quite expensive. The girl's father was one of the owners of a major company in the country.
After stealing the watch, the driver hid it inside a black plastic bag so that no one would see it. Then he went to have some food and a cup of coffee.
As time passed and recess began, some of the children played in the school garden, while others were eating at the school cafeteria.
But Adam and Ibrahim did neither — because, as usual, they preferred sneaking into the school bus and pretending to drive it. They would take turns sitting behind the wheel, moving it left and right, imagining themselves as real drivers — all without the bus driver knowing.
Adam would sneak in first, followed by Ibrahim through the passenger door. Then they would crawl into the driver's seat and the one beside it.
Time went by as Adam and Ibrahim played at being bus drivers, until they grew bored after doing everything they could think of.
Then Ibrahim said, "Adam, don't you know something new we can do?"
Adam replied with a mischievous smile that showed he was planning something.
After all, Adam and Ibrahim weren't like other kids their age — they were much smarter, even more intelligent than seventh graders if you compared their IQs.
Adam said, "I saw the bus driver put the bus keys inside a black plastic bag."
Ibrahim looked at him and said, "So what?"
"Let's start the bus and honk the horn a bit!" said Adam excitedly.
Ibrahim hesitated and warned Adam, but finally agreed — on the condition that they play fairly: Ibrahim would go first, then Adam, and so on.
Adam quickly convinced him. Then he started searching for the black plastic bag.
When he found it, he also saw the golden watch — their classmate's gift — inside it. He admired it but didn't know it belonged to her.
Then he took the key, just as he had seen the driver do, put it in the ignition, and started the bus.
But the gear was still in first.
At that moment, Adam made a wild decision:
"We should drive the bus for a bit."
To be continued...
© Copyright Ibrahim Abdullah.
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