It Takes a Village

After school I took Owen and Jack on a ferry ride to Bainbridge island with my friend Lisa and her daughters Katie and Sarah.  After taking the ferry back to Seattle, we decided to go out to dinner at a local Mexican restaurant with Lisa’s husband, John.  (Poor Eric was in the middle of painting our bedroom and couldn’t make it...) 

For various reasons that I won’t bore anyone with, we made a staggered arrival in three separate cars.  Lisa ended up at the restaurant first with Katie in tow.  John arrived shortly afterwards with Jack, and I was farther behind with Sarah and Owen - having had bad luck with carseats and parking spots.

As Jack walked up to the restaurant, some old friends- Tom and Di, who have known Jack since he was born, were sitting at an outside table and recognized him.  They watched Jack standing there for several minutes without seeing Eric or myself  arrive, and became alarmed.  Di approached Jack and said hello, and started asking  where his parents were.  Of course, Shy-Jack kicked in.  Lisa claimed him, “He’s with me!” when she realized that Di was worried that he was alone.

I barely came into view of the restaurant before Di called out an enthusiastic greeting and came over to meet me.  Di told me how worried she had been for Jack when she didn’t see me, and was laughing about it, but I didn’t totally understand with she was saying.  In my mind Jack was fine being with Lisa and John, but of course Di would not have associated Jack with them at all.  It wasn’t until I sat down and Lisa was telling me the story again, and described that mom-panic-voice that Di had as she was talking to Jack, that I realized what had happened.

I imagine it wasn’t until Di saw me, that she could make a final confirmation that Lisa wasn’t some nut-job who had kidnapped Jack.

And I felt so great to know that there were so many people out there who care about my kids and my family.  That Di would wait until she knew Jack was safe before going back to her family dinner, that John would make Jack feel comfortable enough to ride in his car, and earlier in the day when Becca waited with Owen after school since I was running late, that Lisa took Owen when Jack was having a lie-on-the-ground-and-scream-tantrum because he didn’t get to cross the street while holding an orange flag and I wouldn’t let him run back into the street in protest.

In a big world, it is nice to know I am part of a small village.