The Leather-Clad School Bus Driver Who Never Smiled Took a Job Driving Kids Through Foggy Backroads — And Every Parent Slowly Realized He Watched the Mirrors Like Their Children’s Lives Depended on It

“Why were you watching so closely.”

Rowan stood near the back of the room, hands clasped loosely, leather jacket still on as though he never quite felt finished with the day, his gaze dropping to the floor for a long moment before he spoke.

“I used to drive lead vehicles,” he said quietly.
“My job was to watch for what didn’t belong, what moved wrong, what would kill you if you ignored it.”

He swallowed once.

“Years ago, I wasn’t there to watch the mirrors for my family,” he continued, his voice tightening almost imperceptibly.
“My wife was driving our son to school when someone ran a light, looking at a phone instead of the road.”

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