"Did you walk to school?" Kevin asked.

Grandad chuckled.

"Mr. Pyrtle drove our bus. Summers, he worked at the bait shop.

He was tall and skinny with a voice to match.

'You kids pipe down,' he'd call out.

The bus quieted down for about a minute.

At year's end, a crate full of paper lunch bags appeared by the driver's seat.

'Have a great break,' Mr. Pyrtle would chirp, handing them out.

Inside was a candy bar and a packet of firecrackers.

We set them off as soon as we got home.