Today was an ordinary day! I got up, got myself together, took Thing 1 to school, worked, and made my way to pick up Thing 1 from school. I sat in my usual spot in the pickup line. I typically work from my car, or catch a show since I treat pickup as my lunch hour. Today, my mom asked me to FaceTime her when I got a chance, so I did. We chatted a while. At a certain point, we don’t hang up, just so she can say “Hi” to Thing 1 when she gets in the car. It’s just about time for pickup and I hear someone yell, “Hey!” I look in my review mirror and see the back of the Assistant Principal’s head. I assume he was yelling at a kid. #WhatTheyDoneDidNow
Soon after, though, two gentlemen get out of a car and start talking with walkie-talkies. Then, the dismissal bell rings…NO KIDS! After a minute or two, I tell my mother I am going to let her go so I can figure out what is going on. I call the hubby to see if he can call a neighbor in the line to see what is going on. I didn’t have his number, and I just knew I should not get out of the car. At this point, there were several staff members communicating via walkie-talkie. Then…it happened!
One Sherriff’s vehicle races in, lights on, and parks sideways, blocking traffic…then another…then a police vehicle…then an unmarked vehicle. No sooner than I could process what could be happening, 3 cops in a single-file line make their way on the side of the school. Their big guns were out and the officer in front had the body shield up. In my mind, I am thinking about how I have only seen scenes like this in the movies! #ThisCantBeHappening
At this point, I’m frozen. I’m still trying to take everything in, while trying not to let my mind go “there.” At some point, two officers were posted up in the grass with their big guns out. I never got emotional. I felt like there wasn’t time for it. I just wanted my kid to run out, hop in the car, and we get the hell outta dodge! #LordJustLetMeHaveHerBack
While I didn’t cry, I was shaking uncontrollably. Eventually, my neighbor in line video chatted me the details he got from his daughter. Her story was, there was a suspicious person trying to get in, but didn’t gain access. On social media, I read everything from someone had a gun in the parking lot to it was a false alarm. Whatever was happening, I was 2 seconds away from having a panic attack! Oh, and let me mention…I tried to call Thing 1 on the cell phone she DOESN’T pay for and it kept ringing. Her daddy tells me she left it at home. #DontBeMadMom #DontBeMadMom!
It took 41 minutes, but the lockdown was cleared and I laid eyes on my child. She was anxious, adrenaline was still high, and she was emotional. I heard a few more stories about what happened, but at that point, it didn’t matter. All I knew was, she was in my care, she was whole, and she was back to being mine! Oh…I knew she wasn’t going to school the following Monday too! #TheDevilIsALie
It took some time for me to stop shaking, but eventually, I stopped. I quickly got through the rest of my work day because all I wanted to do was hug my baby as much as possible. Later on, we found out that a bus driver saw a boy brandish a gun while in a car. When they caught up with the culprit, it was 2 teenage boys and a BB gun. One of the boys did hold the gun outside of the car window. He was charged with a misdemeanor and released to his parents. #CanIGetTwoSecondsWithHimPlease
While I am grateful this ended favorably, I still want a crack at the teenage boy. He needs to know the magnitude of his actions. He needs to hear what he put our kiddos through. He needs to know how many police officers were ready to risk it all to serve and protect. And he needs to know the agony he put the parents through while all they could do was sit, watch, and wait. That time will never come, so I will just have to pray his parents shared all of those things, and he will never pull a stunt like that again!
Let me go hug my baby one more time…
