by Ed Pettibone » Sun Nov 03, 2013 5:19 pm
Ed: Gee, you all are making me feel with your talk of being grade school and high school. I had been in the army, finished college, was married, had 2 kids and was in Seminary at SBTS the first time around. I had 2 P/T jobs one of which was driving a school bus, I had just pulled into a service station to get gas in bus the before my afternoon run and had started pumping gas when the attendant inside the station "Oh My God NO ". I thought he had just found the cash drawer empty or some such personal tragedy. I set the Pump on automatic fill. You could do that in those days, in KY.. As I started for the station the attendant came out spouting expletives and repeating about three times they shot the president then he said it is in the radio. He took the School board, GAS for bus ONLY credit card, and retreated to the building. I am not sure how long he took but I needed to get to the school so I went in and he was leaning over the radio listening and paid no attention to me. when I asked for the card and a receipt he mumbled and went to the cash-register and then handed me the receipt with a trembling hand and card saying he he's dead.
When I arrived at the school there where many more parents there to pick up their children than usual. My bus that had been full in the morning was only about 2/3 full and I was told by the principal to wait till a teacher had checked the kids on the bus against a list of ones who had been picked up. It looked as if some kids had been crying but for the most part they where much more quiet than usual. One little 1st grade girl cried softly all the way to her stop. Others started crying when they saw their parent waiting for them. Two mothers ask me why their child was crying and did not know about the president being shot. both where visibly upset when I told them. Traffic seemed more crazy than ever but I am not sure, maybe my nerves where a bit more frazzled. We did not have a TV and the radio reports where very sketchy. I listened to the same stuff over and over and learned little. Then the call in talk shows came on and that may have been the start of my dislike for gossip and conspiracy theory.