I went to school to get stuff ready. Nolan had to come with me all my regular sitters were busy. Nolan slept like absolute crap last night so he was set for an early nap. For whatever reason, he was super clingy and wouldn't nap so I went about getting everything ready with him in the room fussing and dumping. I kept him busy with Mickey Mouse on the projector, crackers and milk.
Finally his crabby got out of control and I gave in and said we'd go home. I would lock him in a room, leave my keys in the door to get in faster, take a load to the car propping the front 2 doors open and then locking them behind me when I went back in. (Our doors are opened with regular keys/not digital, and you lock them behind you so then the school stays secure. Once it is closed it is locked.) I did this for 4 trips...til the 4th when I forgot to prop the doors. Nolan, my keys, & my phone were all locked in the building.
I ran to church thinking Saturday at 11:15 someone may be here. Nope. I ended up standing in the driveway waving down cars to stop so I could use their phone. A wonderful lady stopped (actually only the third car I waved at) and I told her I was setting up my classroom and my 1 year old was locked in school and I needed a phone. She rushed to hand it to me and as I holding her phone in my hand, shaking, I realized I didn't know who to call...my mom and Alex wouldn't be much help getting me into my school building and those are the only numbers I have memorized. So I'm sitting there shaking and she tells me she is a neighbor of a woman who sent her kids to our school (but their youngest graduated I want to say 2 years ago) and she just saw that mom go to her mom's house right down the road so maybe she knows someone's number who would have keys. The lady who stopped called her friend/our former mom and I talked to her and she she'd try to get ahold of our school secretary that lives a few blocks away. I thanked her and went to wait by the door.
10 minutes later the nice lady comes back, says she realized I was locked out of the building not my room and made me sit in her warm car. Then the mother calls back to says she can't get ahold of our secretary, she was going to have her brother break in maybe. (Apparently he does our electrical?) I tell her to call a co-worker and current school mom thinking they may have each other's contact information, but she doesn't have numbers so she had to Facebook message. She Facebook requested then messaged my friend/co-worker, emailed my principal (who lives over an hour away), and was going to call another current school mom who opens our school up for funerals some times. While we are waiting, she takes my hands in hers and says we should pray for Nolan and this whole situation. She said the most beautiful and comforting words, I could feel some tension in my shoulders lessen.
I realize I should probably call my husband in all this and maybe he can find some numbers if we have shared contacts. He is at work so I google his Walgreens and I am calling but on hold. While on hold, the former mom/neighbor of the lady whose car I'm sitting in calls back to day my friend co-worker who lives 2 miles away was on her way. It took her 7 more minutes to get to school.... Nolan was locked in the classroom, alone, crying for almost half an hour.
I know we are all ok and with days like today I could not be more thankful to be working in a tiny school (65 kids 3k-5th grade) where the current and former students are a family, where it is such a small community the lady driving by is a neighbor of a former student and knows that so she is able to make enough connections to get me the help I needed, and people genuinely want what is best for you. I have never felt so scared but so blessed in my life.
That good samaritan, prayers, perfect timing, a former school parents, good friends, and being a part of a wonderful small community saved me and my son today.
Nolan seems to be doing fine and I am hanging in there. My brain tells me all is well, we are all safe and he is young enough that this wont traumatize him for the rest of his life, but my emotional brain is having a hard time coping. I am having a hard time stopping the tears. Pregnancy hormones I am sure aren't helping. I cannot wait to put this past us and move on...just waiting for him to wake from his nap so I can snuggle some more.....
No comments:
Post a Comment