It’s a rite of passage for young kids. Mixing up some cold lemonade, crafting a homemade sign, setting up shop in their front yard and hoping a hot day will bring thirsty customers and make them a few bucks.
Lemonade stands come with varying levels of success, but it’s safe to say you can call it a win when a BC Transit bus pulls over for a pit stop! That’s what happened when Cassandra Hutchings, who has been driving for BC Transit for three years, spotted a lemonade stand while driving the route 11 on Sunday, May 16.
“I was driving towards Tillicum mall on Obed, and I noticed a little girl with a lemonade stand across the street, set up right next to our bus stop,” said Cassandra Hutchings. “She looked so sweet with her table and homemade sign, and it reminded me of my sister and I back in the day. I knew I’d be looping back that way shortly and could safely pull over for a quick visit.”
With a few passengers on board, Cassandra pulled over on this quiet street, put on her hazards and opened her door. The looks on the faces of the little girl and her family were a combination of shock and joy. But this happy tale has a little bit of a tasty plot twist.
“My plan was to buy everyone on the bus lemonade, but when I held out my money, she said ‘oh no, I just ran out!’ I offered her the money anyway with a plan to return on my next trip, but she wanted to run inside and make more immediately! She was just the cutest little thing, but I knew I didn’t have time for an extended stay.”
But the young entrepreneur refused to miss out on a sure sale, so adjusted quickly. She picked up a box of chocolate chip cookies that she had on hand, and with a big smile offered them up to Cassandra and her passengers. Once the cookie-cash transaction was completed, this amazing moment was topped off by the little girl’s response.
“She glanced at the money, then looked up at me with this massive grin on her face, and told me she was going to buy SO much candy! The smile on her face was just so pure, and it totally made my day. I told her she had earned as much candy as she wanted.”
According to the little girl’s proud father, there were actually two buses that stopped at his daughter’s lemonade stand, and she ended up making roughly $80 for the day.
As for Cassandra, she loves the interactions she has with kids and really all her customers. She’s admittedly a sucker for anyone that gives the “trucker arm signal” looking for a honk when she’s driving past.
“If people give me the universal ‘honk your horn signal, I’m going to do it every time. I don’t care how old you are or even if you’re doing it ironically, you’re getting a honk.”
Cassandra’s good deed didn’t go unnoticed, as a family friend of the lemonade seller posted about it on local Facebook group
Victoria Rant & Rave. Not surprisingly, the post received hundreds of likes and comments.
“I didn’t see the post originally, but one of my coworkers called me and told me about it, saying they were 99% sure it was me. When I asked how he knew it was me, he said he just knew.”
Clearly this is “on brand” for Cassandra, and just another reason she’s a special person that BC Transit is lucky to have behind the wheel in Victoria.
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