old bridges disappearing beneath murky flood waters made the trek back and forth to distant schools treacherous , near impossible , but there was always someone to depend on with an open back truck to rescue when the big yellow bus , its bottom step submerged , stalled , refusing to pick up those waiting from the trains platform ; zorro lunch pails nervously scratched with graffiti tied up with old weathered leather belts , books and notepads bundled against the rain , all clutched to chests snapped under plastic raincoats .