The Kiss – Day 2

Dare to Tell – Day 2 – Maura’s Story

I was about 6 years old.

We were coming home from school. My younger
sister Trish was with me on the bus. I remember
that the bus driver always seemed to pay special
attention to me.

I didn’t like him much and I wished he wouldn’t
notice me.

On this particular day he pulled over just in
front of our house; that was our stop. He told me
that he wouldn’t let me or my sister off the bus
unless I would give him a kiss.

I felt really icky inside. I didn’t want to do
it. But I was scared that he would never ever let
us go home.

I could see our house and our garden. I just
wanted to get off the bus. I felt trapped and
forced to do something that I knew was wrong.

I gave him a kiss and he opened the door.

Trish told Mom what had happened, she told Dad.

They were pretty angry.

I felt like a real jezebel, even though I could
never have said that then, I didn’t even know the
word; like I had done something provocative
(another word I didn’t know then), like it was my
fault that he noticed just me.

I’ve never told anyone this story before yet it
was the first thing I thought when I heard about
‘dare to tell’.

It’s been over 50 years since it happened.

I still feel icky when I think about it.

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2 comments on “The Kiss – Day 2

    • Thanks for your comment Heather…and sorry that you've been there. It amazes me that these stories live on within us, certainly as Maura told me the story is was so present for us in that moment.

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