The Candy Lady
Ms. CeeCee is the concessioner of candy and assorted sugar-based treats in the neighborhood. She is notable for other things as well, like her appearance. For one thing, her wig which is cock-sided and a little too black. Metaphorical imagery fills in the gaps:
“If it weren’t for the hair and the bumpy freckles, her face would’ve looked like a baby’s. Her voice, on the other hand, sounded like a truck engine.”
The Broom Dog
A key object in the text is a brook which is used to create a “service dog.” The school custodian creates it to help a student who is dealing with the trauma of his mother being involved in a bus accident. The description of the custodian bringing the dog to life is facilitated using vivid similes:
“He petted the wiry twine as if it were fur. As if he were scratching behind the ear of a Yorkie in desperate need of grooming.”
Student Wisdom
Mrs. Stevens is compelled to hand over five minutes at the end of her class over to Cynthia in order to avoid interruptions throughout the class. Cynthia likes to offer a monologue of wisdom through jokery. Or vice versa. Something, anyway, such as her observation that:
“negative numbers deserve empathy because no one should ever feel lower than zero.”
“A school bus is many things”
The final chapter is initiated with the assertion above. The paragraph which follows that single sentence opening line is nothing but metaphorical examples of the many things of which the following excerpt represents just a fraction of the whole:
“A school bus is a safe zone. A school bus is a war zone. A school bus is a concert hall. A school bus is a food court. A school bus is a court of law, all judges, all jury. A school bus is a magic show full of disappearing acts.”
A School Bus is Many Things
The metaphorical concept of a school bus being capable of existing as representatives of many different things is imagery which brings the book to a close. It is not the final line, however. Or, for that matter, the final metaphor. But it is the initiating through which produces the final metaphor which is the books’ final line:
“Canton smiled, knowing a school bus is many things.
So is a walk home.”
