Sitting on the B41 local bus headed uptown, I saw two siblings get on.
The oldest, a girl, whose thick, long black hair fell just below the middle of her back, looked to be about 6 or 7. She wore a gray long sleeved top over pink slacks and black sneakers and carried a Princess Anna doll-- the latter sporting the gray lock of hair amidst the sea of brown, neatly coiffed under a jeweled crown.
The little girl was followed by her brother. He looked to be about 4 or 5, and had on gray sweatpants, under a long sleeved dark blue and white top. His expressive joy filled face, framed by the straight as rain black of a bowl haircut.
They took the first two seats on the left hand side of the bus and when their mother boarded, she took the only available seat, one person down, across from them on the right hand side.
As soon as she sat down, they actively sought to catch her eye. Eye contact made, they smiled at her and gestured -- checking in to make sure they were okay where they were sitting. She smiled in return with such warmth, I couldn't help but feel happy in their presence.
Content, the children danced in their seats-- the girl playing with her doll, and the boy, effortlessly vibrant, simply expressing the joy and carefree nature often associated with happy children. And without a doubt, these were truly happy children.
At one point, the little boy leaned forward in his seat. The girl, who consistently checked in with her mother from time to time (actually both of them did), quickly figured out that her mom wanted her to keep her brother safe. Her solution was to hold out her right arm in front of her brother akin to the bar on amusement park rides that keeps the passengers upright and secure for the duration of the ride.
When the passenger who had been sitting next to the boy got up to exit, both kids excitedly called for their mom to come over. Beaming at them, she did, and once physically reunited, kissed them both.
Not long after, she glanced down and saw her daughter's shoelace coming untied. She gestured for the foot, and the little girl laid it over her brother's knees, who, in turn, gasped, playfully affronted by his sister's actions. Mom and sister laughed while mom finished tying the laces.
Finally, the bus came to their stop. The girl got off first, followed by the mom who picked up the boy and at the same time called out, "Thank you" to the driver. Without skipping a beat, the young boy also called out an enthusiastic, "Thank you!"
The last I saw of them, mom held her son's right hand, daughter was playing with Princess Anna and both children were literally skipping down the sidewalk. What a wonderful experience to bear witness to♥️