Takin' Care of 'Bidness'

A tale from the DARTside

One day I was driving a client home from his day program. I'll call him R. I had often driven him home and everyday was the same. Get on the bus and say "who is it" and I'd tell him my name so he knew who his driver was. I drove him home often and that's about all he would ever say.

One day I had driven him home only to be back at his doorstep the next day to pick him up. I got to the door and the person who answered said, "R will be out in a minute". So I waited. And waited. And waited. And just about the time I was about to give up on him and knock again R came outside.

I said "good morning" to him and he said, "Oh Hi J, it's you again" and got on the bus. After he was seated on the bus he said, "You know J, I had to spend quite abit of time in the washroom this morning so I'm sorry if you had to wait for me."

I said, "no problem R, sometimes in the morning we have to 'take care of business' and left it at that. R. never said a word. 10 minutes went by and we were just about to his drop-off location and all of a sudden he blurted out:

"That's what I was doing alright, 'taking care of bidness'.

You gotta love 'em. So real.

The Part That Really Sucks About My Job

I really like my job. I drive people around who can't drive themselves for various reasons, they're disabled, they're seniors who don't drive, some have driven and had to give up their licenses, but for whatever reason, I drive people around. I drive people to Dialysis at the Hospital every day and we become 'buds'. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only friend they have (beside other drivers). People live alone and the only time they go out is their 3x/week visit to the Hospital for Dialysis. How much does that suck?

This past week one of my faves, Mr. F. passed away. He was an older man living in a Care Facility but he always reminded me so much of my dad. I never picked him up without thinking of my dad, he had the same quiet, gentle nature. I told him one day how alike he was to my dad and he smiled and said, "that's a compliment because I can tell you loved your dad." He never complained, just rode the bus in his wheel chair. He's gone now and I've missed taking him home this week.

Another one was H. He was a retired bus driver (of big busses, not like these little prissy busses you drive around he said to me). He got so weak in the end I just about carried him upstairs to the front of the house where he lived. He just looked at me and said, "thanks a lot Doll". That was his last ride.

There have been so many that I've driven that have passed away now. It seems the crotchety ones that complain about everything keep going and going and going but in the meantime, it's always the good ones that go isn't it?

Anyways, that's my lament for this week. I'm heading up to our cottage tomorrow with Maggie, Chris is already up there and we're going to cut more trees! Yippee! And THEN we're going to Victoria for the day on Wed to see Paul for his 85th Birthday and THEN we're heading down the Oregon Coast, whew!

The weather's great and I'm headin' out of town so seeya in a week or so!