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About a week and a half ago I picked Paul up from the Trax Station and we were going to babysit my sisters kids while her and V went to see an early screening of the latest and last Harry Potter movie. It was going to be tight cause I had to pick up Paul about the same time that Staci and V needed to drop the kids off to get to their movie on time. So my parents were going to watch them for just a bit until we got back.
I picked up Paul and as he got into the car I thought he looked a little light but obviously didn't think too much of it and we just drove home. It wasn't until we were actually in the driveway that Paul realized he forgot his tools and lunch box on the train. We happened to have a Trax schedule so I ran through the house like a tornado to get it so we could see where to meet the train. As I ran through the kitchen I yelled {not mean just load enough so all the kids could here me} 'Put your drinks down, get your stuff. We have to go chase the train, Uncle Paul left his tools on it.' Well our five year old nephew didn't see the importance of this and decided he needed to finish his milk. Our niece and V's son were at least in the garage but in no hurry to put one foot in front of the other. Poor Paul was just in shock over leaving his tools and worried about how much it was going to cost us to replace them all. I finally got all four of them in the car and we were off.
I had Paul co-pilot {I'm a little bit more of an aggressive driver} and keep track of the time and which stop the train was closest too on the schedule. As we got going I realized that we were going to have to go all the way to the North end of the line {we live past the South end of the line}. Paul called the train security and they said that the main offices were closed and so if someone turned it in he was going to have to wait until the next morning and call the lost and found. That made his heart sink a little more. All of downtown is a no fare zone and there are so many transients that ride the train to get out of the heat, we knew we were never going to see those tools again. As we were getting close I told our niece {she's nine, almost ten}, that I was going to give her the keys and my phone. She needed to lock the car after Uncle Paul and I got out and only unlock it when we were coming back. I never mentioned to the kids that while we were searching the train it might take off with us and that we would just hop off and catch the next one back.
Paul got out before I had even parked. Once we finally got to the hub station , I gave Bay the keys and my cell phone and reminded her NOT to open the door for ANYONE. But wait it gets better there are two trains there...ahhhh....which one do we search?? I went to the one that I thought came from the South station where I had picked up Paul from. What a sight that must have been as pregnant little me went running after a train. I decided to go right up to the conductor and ask her if anyone had turned in a bag of tools. Paul found me and said he checked both trains but the one we were on, he was sure wasn't the train he left his tools on. Then the second train pulled away.
The conductor got on her radio and asked if anyone had seen a bag or had one turned into them. I told Paul I bet this was the train and that he should go check the center of all the cars again where he was sitting earlier. A few more burst over the radio and she tells me 'Someone turned in a bag to my boss we'll see if that's it.' A few seconds later Paul came up with his lunch box and thing of tools. Wahoo!!! Don't mean to brag but I knew we were on the right train.
The whole time I was able to keep a distant eye on my car full of kids and a mini schnauzer. As we got to the car Bay unlocked it for us and it was then, as I was getting in, that I realized what I had done. Bay told me that V's son started crying cause he thought we were on the train that pulled away and even when she pointed out to him that they could see us on the train that was still there, it wasn't enough to keep his heart from racing. Are you kidding me, I left three unattended kids in a car in downtown. I will make a great mom!!! Oh I felt just terrible.
We went over the apartment afterwords and waited for their mom's to get home. I told them what happened and apologized like crazy. Staci just laughed as I was telling them about the kids being in no rush to get out of the house and the panic that ensued when they thought we were on the train that left. All she said was 'That sounds about right.'
I had Paul co-pilot {I'm a little bit more of an aggressive driver} and keep track of the time and which stop the train was closest too on the schedule. As we got going I realized that we were going to have to go all the way to the North end of the line {we live past the South end of the line}. Paul called the train security and they said that the main offices were closed and so if someone turned it in he was going to have to wait until the next morning and call the lost and found. That made his heart sink a little more. All of downtown is a no fare zone and there are so many transients that ride the train to get out of the heat, we knew we were never going to see those tools again. As we were getting close I told our niece {she's nine, almost ten}, that I was going to give her the keys and my phone. She needed to lock the car after Uncle Paul and I got out and only unlock it when we were coming back. I never mentioned to the kids that while we were searching the train it might take off with us and that we would just hop off and catch the next one back.
Paul got out before I had even parked. Once we finally got to the hub station , I gave Bay the keys and my cell phone and reminded her NOT to open the door for ANYONE. But wait it gets better there are two trains there...ahhhh....which one do we search?? I went to the one that I thought came from the South station where I had picked up Paul from. What a sight that must have been as pregnant little me went running after a train. I decided to go right up to the conductor and ask her if anyone had turned in a bag of tools. Paul found me and said he checked both trains but the one we were on, he was sure wasn't the train he left his tools on. Then the second train pulled away.
The conductor got on her radio and asked if anyone had seen a bag or had one turned into them. I told Paul I bet this was the train and that he should go check the center of all the cars again where he was sitting earlier. A few more burst over the radio and she tells me 'Someone turned in a bag to my boss we'll see if that's it.' A few seconds later Paul came up with his lunch box and thing of tools. Wahoo!!! Don't mean to brag but I knew we were on the right train.
The whole time I was able to keep a distant eye on my car full of kids and a mini schnauzer. As we got to the car Bay unlocked it for us and it was then, as I was getting in, that I realized what I had done. Bay told me that V's son started crying cause he thought we were on the train that pulled away and even when she pointed out to him that they could see us on the train that was still there, it wasn't enough to keep his heart from racing. Are you kidding me, I left three unattended kids in a car in downtown. I will make a great mom!!! Oh I felt just terrible.
We went over the apartment afterwords and waited for their mom's to get home. I told them what happened and apologized like crazy. Staci just laughed as I was telling them about the kids being in no rush to get out of the house and the panic that ensued when they thought we were on the train that left. All she said was 'That sounds about right.'
1 Thoughts:
OH my goodness!! First of all I can't believe that you even found the right train! Good for you guys. But you left the kids in the car downtown!! Crazy lady. But I'm sure I would do the same if I was in your situation. I need to call so we can catch up. Love you.
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