DOG PAJAMA

This morning I walked with my three to the corner of the block where a crossing guard was waiting to take all of the walkers and bicycle riders across the street as they made their way to school. I then had my three walk the one block to school from there as I watched until I could no longer see them which was almost to the corner of the second block where another crossing guard was waiting.

I told them I would be waiting for them at the same spot after school. In the meantime, I went to the school office and informed the front desk that my children will be walkers for the rest of the week. Since the weather was warm and there was yet no rain, I saw no issues with them walking as I noticed many other children from their elementary school walking as well.

As I waited for the three to arrive at our agreed-upon location, they never showed up. 'Slow walkers' commented the crossing guard as she noticed my nervously watching for them down the street. I then walked to the school and inquired as to their whereabouts.

The administrators informed me that my three had already left but by then school had been out for a while. Someone paged 'Saffron, Cinnamon, and Sage' and a few of the administrators walked around as they searched for them. Apparently, the person in charge of the walkers misrouted the three, not bothering to check on our house address. Instead they relied on the children telling them in which direction they lived.

Since the walkers were taken out in the back of the school, the three were confused as to the direction and ended up heading in the opposite direction. They were asked if they had to go via Aster Pass or Dagama though I am not sure how they would have known that. They walked with a group of children and went the correct number of blocks to where our house should be, looking for the house with blue on it, but they were lost.

Baffled as to how this could have happened, I was then glad when a woman called the school letting them know that my three children were with her and that she was walking them back to school. I hurried my pace to the corner of Aster Pass.

As I approached the corner looking for the woman and my three children, I saw two boys across the street. They asked me if I was looking for three kids and then let me know that it was their mother who was walking them back. Whilst I waited, the boys told me they were twins in third grade and had an older brother in fifth grade and three sisters.

'Six kids?!' I exclaimed. At that point the woman arrived with my three and said 'Yes, six'. She said today was the one day she was working from home and happened to be on a conference call when her oldest son let her know my children were looking for their home. She immediately called the school and the story of the three lost children had a happy ending.

As we walked back in the correct direction of our house I told the children to make sure to say 'Dagama Drive' when asked which side of the school they should line up. Seeing how they had a difficult time remembering the name of the street, I told them to say 'dog pajama' as the image is easier for them to remember. I reasoned if it was silly enough, they would be more apt to remember.