At the end of the previous week, Bill, the owner of the bus company had asked him to switch routes. Now, Phil had the primary school run. This morning he'd picked up the kids from villages within a ten mile radius of the school and dropped them at St. Joseph's. Now, at 3.20 he was to take them all back home.

Phil sat there, his hands sweaty, and thought about this morning. He had gone from village to village, farm to farm, picking up the 6 to 11 year old children. As each of them got on they said hello, most of them giving him a smile. There was one particular girl though who stuck in his mind. She was about 7 or 8 and wore the cutest white cotton dress Phil had seen. Her blond hair was tied back in a pony tail and she looked like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth. There was something about her though that got Phil's heart pounding.

Phil's thoughts were brought back to the present as, in the distance, he heard a bell. Within minutes a hoard of laughing and screaming boys and girls came tumbling out of the school. Most were met at the gates by their parents but some lined up by the gate, talking and jumping around in their pleasure at finishing another day. Phil wondered what was going on, at the grammar school the boys used to run out of school straight on to the bus. Just as he was about to get out to see what was going on, a young woman stepped up to the door of the bus.

'Hi, I'm Miss Johnson. It's my job to make sure all of these little terrors get on the bus at the end of the day. You're new aren't you?' she smiled at Phil and his sweating got worse.

'Uh...... yeah. I started today. I used to do the grammar school run. My name's Phil..... Phil Davis.'

'Pleased to meet you Phil. You can call me Alison. I'm sure you'll settle in quickly with us, the children are all lovely really, but you have to keep an eye on them; it's like herding cats sometimes!' She turned to the line of kids 'all right now children. You have all met Mr. Davis, your new driver. I want you to be good boys and girls and not make too much noise on his bus. Now, on you get and I'll see you all in the morning'

As the kids got on she counted them off. '18! OK children, who's missing'

'Sarah' came back the shout.

'I'm sorry Phil. Could you hang on a minute, I know exactly where little Miss Wilson will be. Once she has her head stuck in a book she doesn't even hear the bell!'

Alison went back into the school and soon came out with Sarah Wilson in tow. Of course, it was the girl in the white dress, Phil had seen that she hadn't got on the bus with the rest of the kids.

'Now Sarah, I want you to sit at the front here, next to Mr. Davis. You've delayed everyone with you dawdling, so I want you to apologise.'

'Sorry Mr. Davis. Black Beauty had just escaped from that evil man and ......'

'That's enough Sarah, Mr. Davis doesn't need to know all about Black Beauty. OK Phil, that's all 19, you can be off. See you tomorrow.'

'Bye' Phil turned to Sarah and smiled. 'Don't worry about being late, I was always getting in trouble for reading a book when I should have been doing something else.' This got a shy smile from the beautiful little girl.

Phil put the bus in gear and drove away. As he drove, Phil sneaked looks at Sarah. Her little white dress had ridden up slightly and he had a view of her legs to within inches of her crotch. He swallowed, praying that the growing hard-on wouldn't show as the kids got off of the bus.

One by one, the children were deposited back where they started early that morning. Sarah was one of the last to get off. As she was about to step down from the bus, she turned and said 'Thanks Mr. Davis' and smiled sweetly at him. That was it; whatever resistance Phil had was totally crushed.

That night, Phil couldn't get Sarah out of his mind. Her beautiful hair, her sunny smile, but most of all her gorgeous legs.

The next day Phil awoke in a state of feverish anticipation. What would Sarah be wearing? Would she smile at him? Would she even notice him today? Phil had never been this nervous before, not even when he first asked out Jane Billings when he was a boy of 15. What was it about Sarah that did this to him? Phil didn't know.......... all he knew was that he could not stop what he was feeling.

Like that boy of 15, Phil spent a long time in the bathroom preparing. Finally he was ready, looking more like he was going on a date rather than going to his job driving a bus.

On his bus route Phil could think of nothing but Sarah. At last he was at the gate to Red Brick Farm. There she was, waiting at the gate! With his heart in his throat, Phil looked to see what she was wearing and gasped. She was in a cheesecloth top and a peasant skirt. As she stood, the early morning sun silhouetted her lovely body as if she were standing there naked. If Phil had died at that moment he would have died happy!

As she got aboard, the light was still behind her. Phil could do nothing but stare. As he slowly dragged his eyes up to her face, Sarah smiled. 'Morning Mr. Davis. How are you?'

'Fine Sarah. You're looking very summery today.'

'I love this sort of clothes when it's hot'. Sarah sat down on the front seat again, still smiling.

Phil didn't know how he managed to drive to the school that morning. When he arrived at St. Joseph's he shook his head and realised that he had done the whole route on autopilot, picking up children on the way, while all of his thoughts were filled with the sight of Sarah's slim form standing in the door to the bus.

As the other kids got off of the bus, Sarah continued to sit. Finally, being the last one, she got up leaned over and said 'See you tonight', her small, soft hand resting on his arm.

Phil couldn't say a word. He sat there while she stepped off of the bus. She ran into the playground and as she entered, turned and waved with that drop dead smile on her face again. Phil just sat there for a few minutes. His body saying that he had to have her, to love her. His mind saying 'NO. SHE'S ONLY 8!!!'......(cont)