This boy nearly gave me a heart attack this Saturday. While I was paying the check out lady for our donuts, Ed decided to leave the building. So grateful for a small town where I knew someone behind me in line who sat with the kids while I hunted for Ed (Terri B), and when I still couldn't find him, called her husband who is a retired CHP sargeant and who was in the parking... who in turn called Ryan's sargeant... and I couldn't get a hold of Ryan... and I called Marcie in tears saying I lost Ed and I'm at Vons and she replies "I'm on my way."...and she showed up in her jammies with her hubby right behind her in his truck starting at a different end of the road... and she called Michelle who was down the road the OTHER way to watch for Ed... and then Lindsey found him in the parking lot and tried to call me to let me know but I didn't answer my phone because I was spastic and thought "I don't have time to talk right now"... and Krissy who showed up and came into Vons to let me know where he was. I did ask the Salvation Army bell ringer if he saw a small boy wearing a navy blue sweatshirt, wranglers, and cowboy boots walk by and he said no. Anyway, it was the longest 20 minutes, since I don't count the first 5 minutes when I thought he was just around the corner like usual. After we were "reunited" I didn't want to talk to him until my nerves came back into order... on a freezing cold morning I was sweating and my heart hurt.
Ryans's mom once couldn't find him for several hours when he was about 8 or 9 because dates got mixed up and his aunt picked him up on the wrong day, and this was before cell phones. A simple miscommunication that was really traumatic. I told Cherie last night I would have needed a tranquilizer if that were me.
I still haven't had to call search and rescue... but I'm waiting.