So far away from me - Special Saturday edition

So two Kiwis and two Tongans pull up in a truck.

Seriously, this isn't a joke.

Two guys from New Zealand and another two from that South Pacific island nation picked up my husband and took him to yet another rugby match. I would not mind if it was a few hours to play and then come back to be a fellow co-parent. But no. There is this lovely tradition of the "drink-up" in which after the bloodletting the teams bond over beer. So European. So being in your 20's.

I took the kids the one mile into our town center for a mid-morning snack at the locally owned coffee shop. The boys were on their bikes while little lady walked her "tubby bear" in its stroller. I told the boys how to handle a particularly big hill but otherwise didn't give them any instruction. And when I couldn't see them I wasn't worried since they always wait at the next big street for me to help them cross.

They had always waited. Until today.

Today they decided to keep going. And going. I got to the intersection. No boys. I'm trying to get a nearly 3-year-old to hustle and she's getting tired. I turn the big corner. Still no boys. Now she's starting to cry from exhaustion. I tried carrying her and run but still no boys. Over 10 minutes pass as I run and she stumbles.

We get to the center of town and the local bank has set up a table to finger print your kids in case they go missing. I fly by it. I'm seething because if there were two parents one would have the 6 1/2 years olds while the other had the younger one.

The entire time I'm hoping they will be waiting for me on the bench outside the coffee shop. I turn the corner and they are not there.

I fly into the coffee shop and tossed my daughter to a neighbor. My little lady doesn't really know her but I need to find the boys. I throw a $10 and tell her to buy my daughter anything to calm her down as she screams while I literally run out.

I run past all these people holding signs for the seven candidates running in a special election for state representative. I run past the police station and see one of my guys carefully looking both ways as he crosses the street with the other one not far behind.

"Where WERE you?!?"

Said by him. Yes, him.

We all talked about how to handle being separated, how far is too far, and reviewed crossing streets. Then after scones and water, I helped them get back on their bikes and watched them ride off to a dead end road with an agreement that I would meet them shortly. Then I rejoined my little lady for the rest of my latte.

And later we stopped by the bank table to make finger prints.

***

Another set of questions were answered! Alex Elliot, who is a fellow UU, took the plunge (couldn't resist. Be sure to read her answers to #1 and #5 ). I find her blog one of the funniest, and most affirming, around. She pokes fun at herself and manages to make me (and I hope others) feel like we are all in this together. And I keep trying to rig, err schedule, a meeting near her house since we are both citizens of the Commonwealth.