I was driving home when I saw a little girl on a school bus, banging on the back window in terror. My world stopped. Something was terribly wrong. But what danger could a little child possibly be in on a seemingly safe school bus? I chased the bus to find out, only for my heart to skip a beat.The rain pelted against my windshield as I drove home, each drop echoing the heaviness in my heart. Today had to be the worst day of my life. First, my fianc\u00e9 called off our wedding last week, and now, I\u2019d just lost my job. My mind was a tangled mess of thoughts and emotions\u2026\u201dStay calm, Mollie,\u201d I whispered to myself, knuckles white on the steering wheel. \u201cThere\u2019s got to be another way. If one door closes, another opens, right?\u201d But the words felt hollow.\n
How could I go home and tell Mom I\u2019d been laid off? She\u2019d worry herself sick. Ever since Dad died, she\u2019d been my rock, and the last thing I wanted was to let her down.My phone buzzed for the fifth time. Mom again. I pulled over to the curb and answered. \u201cYeah, Mom, I\u2019ll be there in ten minutes. I\u2019m driving\u2026\u201d \u201cMollie, honey, have you seen the weather forecast? There\u2019s a big storm coming. Please be careful.\u201d I swallowed hard. This storm was nothing compared to the one brewing inside me. \u201cYeah, yeah, don\u2019t worry. I\u2019ll be there soon.\u201d\u201dIs everything okay? You sound off.\u201d \u201cI\u2019m fine, Mom. Just\u2026 tired. I gotta drive, okay? Love you,\u201d I hung up, my throat tight. How could I tell her I\u2019d lost my job just for speaking up to the higher-ups? They\u2019d used the excuse of \u201cnot meeting quarterly targets,\u201d but I knew the real reason.\u201dWhat\u2019s the worst that could happen now?\u201d I muttered, putting the car back in gear.\n
Little did I know, I was about to find out. As I merged back into traffic, a yellow school bus rumbled past me. Something caught my eye in the back window: a little girl, her face pressed against the glass, her tiny fists pounding frantically. She was crying for help.\u201dWhat the\u2026? Oh my God\u2026 is she alright?\u201d I gasped. Without thinking, I gunned the engine, racing after the bus. The child was clearly in distress, but why? What kind of danger could she be in on a seemingly safe school bus? \u201cI\u2019m coming, hold on, sweetie,\u201d I mumbled, honking my horn repeatedly. The bus driver seemed oblivious, continuing down the road as if nothing was wrong. Panic rising in my chest, I made a split-second decision. I swerved around the bus and cut in front, forcing it to a stop in the middle of the busy road.The driver, a burly man with a thick black mustache, stormed out. \u201cWhat kinda stunt are you pulling, lady? You coulda caused an accident!\u201d I ignored him, pushing past and rushing onto the bus. The noise hit me like a wall. The kids flocked around the girl, shouting and laughing. I raced to the back, where the little girl sat alone, her face now red and tear-streaked. As I reached her, I froze. This wasn\u2019t what I expected at all.\u201dOh my God! Are you having an asthma attack?\u201d The little girl nodded frantically, her chest heaving as she struggled for air. I knelt beside her seat, my heart racing.\u201dWhat\u2019s your name, sweetie?\u201d I asked, trying to keep my voice calm. She pointed to the ID card hanging around her neck. Her name was Chelsea. \u201cOkay, Chelsea, we\u2019re gonna get you help. Where\u2019s your inhaler?\u201dChelsea shook her head, unable to speak.\n
I looked up to see the driver had followed me, his face pale. \u201cDo you know where her inhaler is?\u201d He shook his head. \u201cI\u2026 I didn\u2019t even know she was having trouble. It\u2019s so noisy back here, I couldn\u2019t hear anything.\u201d I bit back an angry retort and started searching Chelsea\u2019s backpack. Nothing. Panic clawed at my insides as I watched the little girl\u2019s lips start to turn blue.\u201dHelp me look!\u201d I shouted at the driver. We searched under the seats, in the aisle, everywhere we could think of. To my horror, I realized the other kids were laughing, some even pointing at Chelsea. \u201cThis isn\u2019t funny!\u201d I snapped at them. \u201cShe needs help!\u201d That\u2019s when it hit me. I started grabbing all their backpacks, ignoring their protests. \u201cHey, you can\u2019t do that!\u201d a freckle-faced boy yelled.I found it in the third bag I checked: a blue inhaler with Chelsea\u2019s name on it. I rounded on the boy who owned the backpack. \u201cWhy do you have this?\u201d He looked away, muttering, \u201cIt was just a joke.\u201d \u201cA joke? She could have died!\u201dI rushed back to Chelsea, helping her use the inhaler.\n
Gradually, her breathing steadied and the color returned to her face. I held her hand, murmuring soothing words as she recovered. The driver stood there, wringing his hands. \u201cI\u2019m so sorry. I had no idea\u2026\u201d I turned to him, my anger flaring. \u201cThese kids are your responsibility! You should\u2019ve checked what was going on when you heard a commotion!\u201dHe nodded, shame-faced. \u201cYou\u2019re right. I\u2019m sorry.\u201d Chelsea tugged at my sleeve, her voice barely a whisper. \u201cThank you.\u201d Those two words hit me harder than anything else that had happened that day. I couldn\u2019t leave her alone after this. \u201cI\u2019m staying with you until we get you home, okay?\u201d Chelsea nodded, a small smile on her tear-stained face. I turned to the driver. \u201cI\u2019m going to move my car and ride with her. Is that okay?\u201dHe nodded quickly. \u201cOf course. It\u2019s the least we can do after\u2026 well, everything.\u201d As I stepped off the bus to move my car to the parking lot nearby, I realized my hands were shaking. What a day this had turned out to be. Back on the bus, I sat beside Chelsea, my comforting arm around her shoulders. The other kids were unusually quiet now, the severity of what had happened finally sinking in. \u201cWhy didn\u2019t the other kids help you?\u201d I asked gently.Chelsea\u2019s lower lip trembled. \u201cThey think it\u2019s funny when I can\u2019t breathe. They hide my inhaler sometimes.\u201dMy heart broke for her. \u201cThat\u2019s not okay, Chelsea.\n
You know that, right?\u201d She nodded, looking down at her hands. \u201cI try to be brave, but sometimes I get so scared.\u201dI squeezed her shoulder. \u201cYou were incredibly brave today. You got my attention when you needed help. That takes a lot of courage.\u201d A small smile played on her lips. \u201cReally?\u201d \u201cReally. You\u2019re one of the bravest people I\u2019ve ever met.\u201d Two stops later, Chelsea pointed out the window. \u201cThat\u2019s my mommy and daddy!\u201dAs we got off the bus, Chelsea\u2019s parents rushed over, confusion etched on their faces. \u201cChelsea, who\u2019s this?\u201d her mother asked, eyeing me warily. Chelsea\u2019s voice was stronger now as she said, \u201cThis is Mollie. She saved my life.\u201d After Chelsea explained what happened, her parents\u2019 expressions morphed from confusion to gratitude to anger at the bus driver, at the other kids, and at the whole situation.\u201dI don\u2019t know how to thank you,\u201d Chelsea\u2019s father said, tearing up. \u201cI\u2019m just glad I was there to help.\u201dChelsea\u2019s mother, Mrs. Stewart, insisted on driving me back to my car. As we arrived at the mall parking lot, the skies opened up, rain coming down in sheets. \u201cSo, Mollie,\u201d Mrs. Stewart said, peering at me through the rain-streaked windshield, \u201cwhat do you do?\u201dI let out a bitter laugh. \u201cFunny you should ask. I actually lost my job today.\u201d Mrs. Stewart\u2019s eyebrows shot up. \u201cOh, I\u2019m so sorry to hear that. May I ask what happened?\u201d I sighed, the events of the day washing over me again. \u201cI spoke up about some unethical practices. They didn\u2019t like that, so they found an excuse to let me go.\u201dMrs. Stewart was quiet for a moment. Then she said, \u201cYou know, my husband and I run a small business. We might have an opening.\n
Would you be interested in coming in for an interview?\u201d I blinked, not sure I\u2019d heard her correctly. \u201cAre you serious?\u201dShe smiled. \u201cAbsolutely. Anyone who\u2019d go to such lengths to help a child in need is someone I\u2019d like to have on my team.\u201d As we pulled up to my car, the rain had slowed to a drizzle. Mrs. Stewart handed me her business card. \u201cCall me tomorrow,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019ll set something up.\u201d I clutched the card, a spark of hope igniting in my chest. \u201cThank you. I will.\u201dThe next morning, I woke up feeling lighter than I had in weeks. I\u2019d told Mom everything that had happened. About losing my job, saving Chelsea, the potential new opportunity\u2026 everything. She\u2019d hugged me tight, pride shining in her eyes. \u201cI always knew you were meant for great things, darling!\u201d Now, as I dialed the number on Mrs. Stewart\u2019s card, my heart was racing again, but this time with excitement rather than fear.\u201dHello, Mollie,\u201d Mrs. Stewart\u2019s warm voice came through the phone. \u201cI\u2019m so glad you called. How would you feel about coming in for an interview this afternoon?\u201d I couldn\u2019t help the grin that spread across my face. \u201cI\u2019d love to. Thank you so much for this opportunity.\u201d \u201cNo, Mollie,\u201d she said, and I could practically hear the smile in her voice. \u201cThank you. You saved our daughter. This is the least we can do.\u201dAs I hung up the phone, I felt tears prick my eyes. But for the first time in a long while, they were tears of joy, not sorrow.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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