Five Photos, Five Stories #5

Whew, I made it!! Five days ago when Carol tagged me for Five Photos, Five Stories, I thought it would be an impossible task. I barely get one post a week anymore, much less five! But, as you can see, I did it! Here is #5! Thanks, Carol, for making me sweat. 🙂

Today we are back in circa early the 1990s and The Golfer is about two years old or so.

Both kids and I are shopping in a children’s store. The Golfer, as wee ones tend to do, is getting antsy so I take her out of the cart to toddler beside me. No worries. Been done a hundred times without incident.

Not this day.

I stop to look at some clothes and tell The Investigator, then around five, to hold her sister’s hand and stay beside me. Literally two minutes later I look down to see only half of the duo….and it wasn’t the smaller half. So I did what any normal Mama would do…..I panicked.

Where is your sister?

I dunno.

What do you mean, I dunno? You were suppose to hold her hand.

This was followed by Mama and sister quietly calling for her while looking around the area.

Crickets.

This was followed by Mama calling louder. When each call is not answered, my tone gets louder more and more desperate…still nothing.

I flag a store clerk and express my concerns. She joins in the search.

Nothing.

If you’re a parent, you know what’s going through my mind a this moment. And all of the scenarios involve police and statewide searches.

The front doors are locked. All store personnel and some customers are now looking for my two-year old daughter. I’m searching the dressing rooms and rest rooms. An employee coming in from a break outside in the back swears no one has left through that door.

Nothing.

I’m a terrible mother. Irresponsible. I’m sure this is child neglect of some sort. A two-year-old child just doesn’t vanish into thin air. I’m in full panic mode now and it’s oh so obvious in my voice as I continue to yell call her name. I’ve searched the center of every carousel rack in the store; looked in and around every shelving unit. I’m standing there with my mind racing….and then I heard it.

The whimper of a small child.

I follow the sound to a wall where there are waterfall racks. Up under one of the racks of clothes sits The Golfer on a small ledge, eyes wild with fright and full of tears. For you see, in everyone’s panicked attempt to find her, our voices got increasingly louder, sounding more and more desperate with every call. And she thought she was in trouble. So she did what any kid would do….she hid.

After I picked myself up off the floor, I scoop her up and hug her tighter than ever.

For today’s tag, I’m asking Robin over at Robins Real Life to play along. She says she sings off-key, but I think she always has interesting stories and enjoy her blog very much.

Also, I’d like to take a page from Carol and invite everyone else to play along with the theme as well. Just because I didn’t mention you doesn’t mean you don’t have amazing stories to tell! So please, if you want…..Let’s play!