Busy Streets and Strangers with Candy

I am so grateful for all of the people in my life that care so much about me and my family. We recently had a very funny mix up that showed me just how much my friends and co-workers have my back. I work at Lincoln Elementary as a school librarian. The people I work with are the best! I see them, day in and day out, working tirelessly with children who rarely acknowledge or thank them for the services they provide, because they are children and don’t understand just how much goes in to taking care of them.

At any rate, a friend called me at work and told me that she saw my son L walking down the street alone. His junior high school is only several blocks from where I work off of the main street that is very busy as far as traffic goes. So in a panic I took off in my van to try and catch him. I didn’t see him. I thought perhaps I should verify that he was missing, so I tried to call his school. His teacher did not answer the phone. This gave me more cause for panic. Was she not answering the phone because she was out looking for him?

It wouldn’t have been the first time that L has wondered away from school. When he attended a certain school for autistic children in North Salt Lake several years ago he left. We had the police out looking for him, and I distinctly remember the sick feeling that churned in the pit of my stomach as I drove down to aid in the search. Luckily we found him about a mile and a half from the school in the Maverick bathroom.

At any rate, I drove all the way over to the school to check and make sure that he was indeed missing. I walked into the lunch room and there he was looking very surprised to see me. Feeling ever so relieved, I drove back to work. Now here is where the story gets good. My co-workers were concerned after the way I had left in such a rush. They discovered that L may be out on the loose, drifting down a busy street and they were concerned too.

Suddenly they spot him across the street from the school. Armed with nothing more than a hand held stop sign, they sprint through the parking lot, hold the sign aloft as they dash across four lanes of traffic to the sidewalk on the other side. All the while they were yelling L’s name. But he did not seem to be responding. That is not uncommon for L who sometimes is in his own little world. But they did not give up. They continued to chase him, shouting out that they had candy and he could have some if he would only come with them.

Just as they reached him, he turned and was startled that two grown women were following him. That is when they discovered that it was not L after, just a kid who had a similar body build and hair color. Luckily he had his ear buds in and did not hear them enticing him with candy.

I was very grateful to everyone who was involved, because I knew that they cared and that they were willing to help me if need be. Yes, someone will always have an eye out for L to make sure he is safe. I just worry about the other kid. Where was someone when he was being chased down the road? Who called his mother when he was nearly lured away with promises of sweets? Haha! Just the mental picture of it makes me laugh all over again.