“It’s my day off tomorrow,” said Brian.

Sandra frowned. “You’re on the roster.”

“I only work alternate Sundays. That should be on the roster.”

She shrugged. “Well, it’s not my handwriting.”

Brian sighed. “Fine. See you tomorrow, then.”

Sandra watched him go. Pete said goodbye and Brian only grunted at him. Pete was still drinking when another bus pulled in a few minutes later. Sandra guessed the number thirty-nine. Sure enough, Paul came in, looking as dazed and as incongruous as he usually did.

“Good night?” Sandra asked, taking his key and money bag.

Paul looked at her, almost uncomprehendingly it seemed, then nodded. “Yeah. Yeah.”

“See you Monday.”

“See you Monday,” Paul said.

He was a young lad, barely old enough to drive a bus, and Sandra occasionally wondered how such a simple boy could cope with the roads. He said very little, and probably thought very little, but it had been his childhood dream to drive buses, so he was very reliable.

Before he got back to the door, he suddenly froze and turned and scuttled back to the desk.

He gave Sandra a coy look. “Actually, I wanted to ask if I could swap a ten pound note for coins, Sandra.” He had such a soft, quiet voice.

“Of course you can, Paul,” she said.

He found a tenner inside his pocket.

Sandra opened the money bag Brian had just brought in and started taking out coins. “What do you need coins for that you can’t buy with notes?”

Paul ducked his face shyly. “Oh, uh, I, well, just need some change, yeah, that’s all.” He had flushed bright red.

“Okay, Paul.” Sandra counted out ten coins and he gave her his tenner.

NOTES:
Originally the whole point of having this other bus driver, Peter, hanging around is that this odd Paul kid would walk in on them having sex. Actually, I think the only reason I didn't do that in the end is because it felt like the pound coin was slowing down, coming to the end of it's journey. What would Sandra do? Pay Pete with it? No, it would be sitting in the money bag the entire time, and would probably end up in the safe. Not the ending that was already forming in my mind at this stage.