Madge Monday

Coco and I were late picking up Madge from school today. Not much, but enough that she was the last one of her class to still be there. She took it well, though. Aside from the usual barrage of "Where were you, what took you so long, you're late, why are you late?" She was fine.
We were late because the bus we took didn't show up at the usual 2:30, but rather at 2:4something. And it was late because the bus driver was extremely timid, which meant that the rest of the ride we were not gaining any time. There were more than usual passengers at each stop and the time between each stop was... ech.
You know how they say your blood boils? Well that's exactly what it feels like when you're stuck in a situation beyond your control and you know there's nothing you can do about it.
In Berlin, I remember, cars have to yield to a bus pulling out of a bus stop and I'm guessing it's the same here, but this guy let everyone ahead of him.
But what am I going to do with a nervous driver, bus driver no less: tease him? call him names?
So we were late.
On the way to the playdate, on a different bus, I got lectured by the bus driver for not holding Coco's hand and yanking him from the curb as the bus was approaching. He was a bit of a lurchy driver and it really would have been prudent to not have us all head to the bus just because it had stopped near the curb. Apparently he felt the need to jostly his steed a little closer to the actual bus stop sign.
Having some experience with other, especially older, people lecturing me about what to do with my kids, I said, "Thank you, that's a good idea."
Really.
But for some reason that just made him angrier.
And I tried so hard to sound sincere.