A Good Deed.

I am now off for five days, I was pleased about that, because today is the first of the planned bus strikes.  When I realized the first strike was today, I had decided to take my kids to their places of work. They are both very hardworking, we who had discussed it at work, knew that today taxis could charge what they wanted, the skies would be the limit for them. There would be nothing that the Customer could do, if they didn’t have a car or a lift. I could see from my calendar, that for the first three days of the five planned days that I would be off, the other two days that the strike was planned for I would be at work, but at least I would have made a difference in their lives and their budgets.

My Manager had asked me if I could, “Cover today,” He had asked me this while I was already at work, I had replied to him, “I need to ring Paul at home to ask him to look at the calendar on the wall, as that was the final say so, of what I could and could not do.” I rang Paul, he replied, “You have written down Off, bus strike, take kids to work.” Good thing I was organized, as I’d forgotten about that, I then replied to my manager, “On my calendar at home, it states, that I am taking my kids to work due to the bus strikes.” He 100% understood, he doesn’t drive, and he relies on the bus or train, and some days both would be striking, these planned strikes would affect half the Staff, half of them come on the bus a very long way. My manager accepted that it was Family First, and for that reason, I would not be able to cover today.

There were various rumours at work that I had heard, the first one was, that the Company would pay for the taxis of those unable to get to work, as they have no car and unable to also get a train and the second rumours was that they were going to force them to pay for their own taxis, whatever it cost! Then the third rumour was only a few would be paid for by the company, but they had to keep that hush hush, so those, the majority didn’t know. But that has always happened where, I work, one rule for the one or two and a different rule for the majority. I have learnt what I am told or hear, to say nothing! All their secrets are safe with me.

Then a few days ago, it was announced, “The planned strikes for the 16th 17th and 18th have been called off, there will be a meeting on the 20th if no joy, then we will strike.”

My hardworking daughter Meghan, gets up at the crack of dawn, as she has no car, she has past her test, but it’s difficult to find the right car for the right price, at the right place. So, she gets up at the crack of dawn, and walks out into the dark and lonely streets to the bus stop. Sadly, the last three times she got up early and walked out into the dark, the buses didn’t turn up!

One of the colleagues who I work with, her husband is a bus driver, and he has told her, “At that time in the morning, if a driver rings in sick, they simply don’t sent another driver, so there is no bus, for that time.” I suppose for those few who get up in the night to get the bus that they are depending on, for their long distant journey, they don’t matter.

So, although I now knew that the buses would be running this morning and tomorrow, I had decided to take my child to work today, but I didn’t tell her, as I was very tired yesterday and I didn’t want to commit myself, in case I was asleep. I did inform Meghan, “If there is no bus, if it doesn’t arrive, when you come back home, don’t book a taxi, I will take you, come into the bedroom and call me.”  Meghan replied, “OK.”

I’d fallen asleep on the sofa, and woken up 10pm I knew that was far too early for me to go to bed, so I did other things and went up to bed last night at 11.45pm that too was early for me, I got into bed, and was wide awake for one whole hour!! I went to the loo, I have told my kids since they were little, “To always go to the loo, if you can’t sleep.” I decided to take my own advice and it worked.

I suddenly woke up at 05.30am and I realized I had had a lot of sleep, I could see that the landing light was on, so I knew Meghan was awake. I got up and went downstairs, she was having a nice cuppa, I said, “When you are ready, I will drive you to work, and I will drive you to work tomorrow too, Ok.” Meghan smiled and said, “Yea, I can have a lie in tomorrow.”

I have also told Daniel, that, “I will take you to work today and tomorrow, OK,” Daniel replied, “Thanks Mum.”

I know I said, I would do a good deed, but I will help my kids, as much as I can, for there will be times, in the near future, when I will be at work and will be unable to support them, with lifts.