Bus Driver Spots an Abandoned Bag under the Seat and Finds a Child in It — Story of the Day

A bus driver is stunned when he finds a child hiding in an abandoned sports bag in his bus, and ends up saving the boy and transforming his own life forever.

Adam Loftner was a driver for a well-known intercity bus service and he'd been crossing the country for years. He loved his job, but it was a lonely life. Adam's shifts and odd hours meant that there wasn't a lot of time for romance, and besides, he was a shy man.

One evening, Adam had just arrived after having driven to Cleveland from Detroit. He was walking through the bus to make sure no passengers had stayed behind when he noticed a large sports bag on one of the back seats.

Adam groaned. "Now I'll have to take this in to lost and found and fill in all that paperwork," he grumbled as he bent down to pick up the bag. But the bag turned out to be a lot heavier than Adam was expecting -- and it squirmed!

Adam reached for the zipper and opened the bag. To his surprise, the first thing he saw was a pair of huge frightened eyes. The eyes belonged to a little boy who looked to be no older than four.

"What have we here?" asked Adam, and reached into the bag to lift the little boy out. "Who are you, little man, and how did you get here?"

The boy stood up straight. "My mom put me in the bag, so I could go to my auntie's house without my dad getting mad and hurting us." Adam noticed that the boy had some ugly bruises on his arms and legs.

"But why didn't your mom buy you a bus ticket?" asked Adam.

"We don't have any money," the boy explained. "Dad doesn't give us any."

"I see," said Adam. "And where is your aunt's house, do you know?" The boy nodded proudly and took a carefully folded piece of paper out of his pocket. Adam unfolded it and read the address.

"Oh no!" he cried. "Your aunt lives in Pittsburg! Your mother put you on the wrong bus!" At this, the little boy burst into tears, and Adam tried to comfort him. "Listen, it's OK! I'll take you to your aunt, OK? What's your name?"

"I'm Tommy," the boy said, wiping tears from his face.

"Come on, Tommy," Adam said. "I don't know about you but I'm hungry so how about we have a hotdog before we drive to Pittsburg?" By the time they arrived in Pittsburg over five hours later, Adam and Tommy were great friends.

They knocked on Tommy's aunt's door, and she was a bit surprised to see her little nephew and a strange man standing on her doorstep late at night, but she welcomed them in.

"My poor sister!" she told Adam. "Her husband is a brute, and he won't let her go!"

Adam frowned. "He's a bully, and bullies are cowards. Let's see if he has the courage to face up to a man!"

So Adam and Tommy's aunt (her name was Lydia) drove to Detroit and knocked on his mom's door. A big man with an unpleasant face answered and glared at Lydia.

"What are you doing here, you witch?" he screamed, but before he could say another word, Adam, who was an even bigger man gripped him by his collar.

Bullies are usually cowards who can't face up to someone strong and confident.

"You're talking to a lady," he said calmly. "So I suggest you lower your voice. We're here to see your wife Tracy." The man stepped aside and Adam saw Tracy -- a petite blond woman with a sweet face.

Lydia ran to embrace her sister and said, "Tracy, we've come to get you! Go pack your bags!" Tommy's dad opened his mouth to object but he caught Adam's eye and thought better of it.

Adam said to him, "Let's you and I have a talk. From now on you are going to leave Tracy and Tommy alone because whatever you do to them, I will do to YOU, do you understand?"

"They are mine!" Tommy's dad said angrily. "I have rights!"

Adam shook his head. "No. You had responsibilities. You were supposed to love and protect them, not mistreat them," he said. "You had everything, and you threw it all away. So leave them alone."

Tommy's dad agreed gruffly, and Adam picked up Tracy's suitcase and the three of them walked out. Tommy was delighted to be back with his mom, and with Adam's and Lydia's encouragement Tracy filed for a divorce.

Tracy and Tommy moved in with Lydia. Tommy went to school and Tracy found a job and everything was going well for the family. Adam knew they were OK, but he couldn't resist popping in now and then to check on them.

He loved spending time with Tommy, and he was growing very fond of Tracy. One day he invited her to go out on a date with him, and before long the two were head over heels in love.

Tracy saw that this big shy man with a heart of gold was the opposite of the man she'd married when she was too young to know better, so when he asked her to marry him she accepted.

Tommy was delighted and he played a double role at the wedding: first, he gave away the bride, then he was the groom's best man. Lydia was the bridesmaid and she was crying with happiness.

Tommy whispered to his mom: "I was just thinking...You put me in the right bus after all!" And she had. The 'wrong' bus had brought them safely to a new life.

What can we learn from this story?

• The most unexpected occurrences can bring a new chance at happiness. Adam never imagined that finding a boy in a bag would change his life.
• Bullies are usually cowards who can't face up to someone strong and confident. Tommy's dad was brave enough to bully his wife and child, but couldn't face Adam.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a childless woman who finds a young girl on her doorstep on Christmas Eve claiming to be her granddaughter.

This account is inspired by our reader’s story and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com