Has it been this long since my last post? Geezh, this summer is already at warp speed...and it's not even summer yet! Case in point: We've been meetinig ourselves coming at our house with so many activities & events that necessitate our participation. On one particular busy Saturday afternoon, the family hit the mall in town to get some supplies. My wife decided to split up & cover more ground so she took my oldest boy & assigned me my youngest - and most "ornery" son.
I desparately needed new shoes, since the ones I was wearing had "blown out" months ago...actually last summer...and now were rapidly transforming into sandals. So, I had remembered seeing some shoes I liked at Hot Topic. Yes, I said, "Hot Topic". My neighbor actually exclaimed when I told him this, "Aren't you a little old to be shopping in Hot Topic?" Well, no, actually. I do like some of the clothes there, but especially the shoes, since most of what I'd seen at the discount stores were some that resembled what the lunar astronauts wore on their first trip to the moon.
The store is dark, narrow, crowded, and full of displays that make a "straight line" impossible. So, my son began zig-zagging through the people, racks, & other assorted obstacles to the back of the store where the clothes were in search of the shoe rack. He was already voicing his displeasure in being at the store so I had to hold onto his hand & weave him through the store. I found the shoes near the back, close to the storeroom.
As my son started whining about wanting to go, one of the store's employees came up to help me. As I was describing the shoe I had hoped to find, my son began playing with the South Park toys on the rack & looking with curiosity at the door leading into the storeroom, which had a large mirror on the front.
The clerk disappeared into the storeroom to get some sample shoes for me & I had to restrain my son from following her. She returned with some shoes to sample & then took me around to the opposide side of the display to show me other styles of shoes to examine. My son, meanwhile, had started making faces in the mirror on the storeroom's door. The whole process with me & the store clerk took 5 minutes. When I was ready to try on the shoes, I circled back around the display to take my son with me. And, he had moved on. So, my next move was to start wandering the store, looking in every nook & cranny for him...thinking he was looking for more things to play with.
By the time I had made it to the front of the store, I had not seen him. Outside the store, in the mall, the local law enforcement agencies & EMS crews had their vehicles & officers set up to promote safety. They were registering children with photos & giving tours of ambulances & police cars. Thinking he had wandered into a police car or joined some of the others kids in playing out front, I scanned the crowd. No sight of him.
I began to process where he could've taken off to - he's at the coin-operated rides half-way down the mall from where we were - I was almost 100% certain. But I wanted to make sure he was not still in the store before I took off. As I started to turn for the storeroom, where I figured he may have gone, a girl from our church came up to talk. While making small talk, I continued scanning the store & the mall...not wanting to freak out anyone yet.
I guess this is where I differ from others. I was quite anxious about the whole thing. But I'm also optimistic in that I look for the positive side before diving head-first into the worst-case scenario. This also drives my inner "gut" feeling that I live in a relatively safe part of the state. I feel very secure where I live. I have seen the neighborliness, kindness, and support from folks living in Central PA in the last 2 1/2 years I've lived here. Case in point: We were once a victim of a flat tire caused by a rock on the road. In the time it took to call & report us to AAA, 3 cars offered to stop & help - the first being one with two teenagers. The 4th to stop actually got out of the car & began getting his tools out to change our tire. I had to call AAA to cancel the call because this guy had already started to work. So, we saved having to use our travel club credit. So, needless to say, I have a good impression of where I live.
During this exchange my wife met me with my oldest son & she had only one question to ask: Where my youngest son was. All I could say was, "I don't know. I'm looking for him." Now we have launched the torpedo & on our way to Defcon 4.
I quickly said I was going back to see if he had wondered into the store's storeroom & before I had made it half-way back through the store, my wife met me prepared for battle & screaming, "WHERE IS HE!!!!!!!!!!" Now, I was going to tell her I was going to check the amusement rides next but she had already run from the store like a madwoman screaming like a banshee.
In a matter of 1 minute, she had attracted the response of a University Policeman, officers from 2 neighboring townships, a Borough policeman, and a State Trooper. Descriptions were given, a crowd was gathering, my oldest son, who's only 5, started freaking out, and total pandemoneum was well underway. A search party was mobilized with local townspeople volunteering to go with the officers & emergency services personnel. I was asked if my 4 year old knew the mall. I told the officers that he did & probably knew right where he wanted to go....to the mechanical amusement rides.
The search party took off, on foot, on a bicycle, and on their radios. All I could do was to stand there & console my wife who was 30 seconds away from postal. I still had my share of anxiety...moreso because of the ruckus that was playing out around me than over the fact that my 4 year old had just split on his own destination at a crowded mall on a Saturday afternoon.
Of course, it didn't help that my wife had just watched a Dateline NBC program about child predators.
Within 10 minutes, 3 uniformed officers was walking my son back to us. The word spread quickly to the runners that preceeded the arrival of my son... "We found him!" And my wife flipped out again as she saw him grinning like a Cheshire cat being led by his police escorts. I asked one of the officers, "Was he at the play area?" "Yep, he sure was," was the reply. "You hit it right on target."
Now, had he not been at the amusement ride area, my anxiety would have begun to give way to panic. But I guess I don't "light up" as fast as some do. I try to process information as I get it rather than jump to conclusions. Nevertheless, my faith in the local community, the local emergency services personnel, and the people of the county..only reinforcing my optimistic view of the people who live in my neighborhood.
Oh, and I also make it a habit never to yell, "FIRE" in a crowded theater, either.
Once we had my son back in our custody, we marched both kids over to the table to register them with the county emergency services & have their photos taken. Then, both got to meet the State Police & have their picture taken in a real, life police cruiser. And they, too, got a good lesson on the importance of having the policeman as your friend.
