Lucas was on his way to another city, but there was a baby on his bus who wouldn’t stop sobbing. He arrived at one of the stops and started to chastise his parents for doing nothing about it. That’s when he noticed the baby was alone and recognized he had to do something he’d never done before. The wailing had been going on for far too long on the bus, and Lucas had no idea how his passengers were putting up with it at this point.
Lucas was driving the bus from Miami to Orlando, a three-hour journey. A baby had been crying in the rear for virtually the entire journey. It wasn’t a big deal at first, but it was starting to grate on his nerves. He couldn’t stop the bus until he arrived in Orlando since the protocol required him to make specified stops in Miami and then others in Orlando.
He thought that one of the passengers would alert the baby’s parents, but nothing occurred. That poor child cried the entire journey. He was almost too relieved to get to the next station. “No way, Maria! That’s insane! She’s the child of a stranger. I can contact social services or something like that. I’m not good with children “He responded in a hurry.
He got out of his driver’s seat and began walking to the back. “Hello there, passengers. Can someone tell me who the parents of the sobbing baby are?” He announced to the ones seated near the rear. Some of them were happy that the matter was finally being addressed, but no one spoke up. They looked around as Lucas did, and their looks soon changed to puzzlement.
“Hello? Who are the parents of the baby? “He inquired once more, hoping for a response. But, once again, no one responded. “Sir, I believe that infant is alone,” someone from the back said, pointing to one of the chairs. Lucas frowned and moved to the seat next to the sobbing baby’s carrier. He noticed the baby was a female, and she was alone. “Are you certain? Could her mum be in there?”
Lucas approached the passenger who had spoken up. “I’m not sure. I just realized the infant was alone when she began sobbing. But because I’m not good with babies, I just disregarded it “said the passenger, shrugging her shoulders. “That’s insane! Was a baby abandoned on a bus from Miami to Orlando? What exactly is going on?” Lucas enquired, and another passenger added their two cents.
“I can watch her for a while. I have grandbabies, and I can put them to sleep. I didn’t say anything earlier because I had no idea what was going on, but I can help,” a kind lady offered, picking up the baby carrier to take it to her spot.”Thank you, ma’am. We’ll find out what’s going on soon, hopefully,” Lucas expressed his gratitude and went back to his seat to resume driving.
Worried about the baby, Lucas decided to call the central office and discovered something he had never imagined. Apparently, the child’s mother had been making a fuss at the office, trying to get answers about her baby. She was on the bus with the baby when she decided to help an elderly lady get off the bus with her groceries. Unfortunately, the bus doors closed before she could re-embark and that’s why the baby was alone.
“Jesus, that’s crazy!” Lucas told the secretary, Maria, who had taken his call. “So what happens now?” “Unfortunately, yours was the last bus to Orlando today so the lady won’t be able to get to her daughter soon. Lucas, you’re going to have to keep the baby until her mother picks her up tomorrow,” Maria stated, making Lucas’ jaw drop.
“No, Maria! That’s crazy! She’s a stranger’s child! I can call social services or something. I can’t handle babies!” he responded, panicked.”Lucas, you can’t do that. She’ll get in trouble and it wasn’t her fault. She seems like a lovely lady. She was so worried. Please, can you help her out? I’ll give her your address. She’ll take the first bus to Orlando tomorrow. Please? Sometimes, we have to help each other out, right?” Maria pleaded, and Lucas finally caved in.
When he completed his route, Lucas picked up the baby carrier and took the child home. His wife, Julie, would be stunned, to say the least. For several years, he had expressed his dislike for children and how he didn’t want to have them at all. The idea saddened Julie, but she loved him and wanted him to be happy.”What’s going on?” Julie said when her husband walked in with a baby carrier. He explained everything that happened, and she finally smiled.
“I know, right? But well, Maria convinced me that it was the right thing to do, and I mean, it’s my day off tomorrow. I can certainly wait for that mother to come pick her up,” he added with a chagrinned smile. Surprisingly, that night with the baby was one of the best of Lucas and Julie’s life. She was so tiny and vulnerable, but she smiled as they cooed at her. Luckily, she was also all cried out, so she slept soundly when they put her in a tiny makeshift bed in their guest room.
The baby’s mother, Cynthia, arrived bright and early the following morning with tears in her eyes. “Thank you! Thank you so much! I’m such an idiot! She’s a newborn, for God’s sake! I shouldn’t have traveled, but I wanted to visit my mother. Then I saw a woman struggling to get off the bus with her groceries, and I couldn’t help myself, I wanted to help her,” she scolded herself.
“Wow, darling. I’m shocked. I can’t believe you agreed to something like that,” she said, her grin getting wider.”Don’t worry. Your baby is a delight, although Lucas said she cried on the bus so much,” Julie said, patting the new mother’s arm. “What’s her name, by the way?””Oh, it’s Darla,” Cynthia replied, cooing as Julie passed her the baby carrier.
“Yeah, she was fine as long as someone paid attention to her. But then, she fell right asleep,” Lucas chimed in, smiling. Cynthia thanked them again and left with her baby. When they closed the door, Lucas turned to his wife with pursed lips and a glint of something in his eye. “You know… having a baby wouldn’t be so bad….”
Julie’s eyes widened in surprise, and she jumped into his arms. A year later, they had their own daughter, Darla, named in honor of the baby that had changed his mind.