I could hear urgency in my daughter-in-law’s voice when I answered the phone. “Could you go get Benjamin at school? He missed the transfer bus.” What I knew at this point was that my son was home with one sick son, and I was standby transportation. At the end of the school day, Benjamin was supposed to ride on the transfer bus from his elementary school to the school where his mother worked. By my watch, it had been about an hour since school let out. Hearing her stress, I didn’t wait for details but hopped in the car and headed toward Benjamin.
When I got to school, all the buses were gone. All the parent pickups had left. A few random cars scattered about the parking lot. (I noted that one of those would have been mine back in the day as I usually got there for opening and stayed for closing.) I stopped in front of the school since I didn’t know where pickup would be by this point. By the time I turned off the car and got out, a smiling Benjamin, carting his backpack, emerged from the school.
As he settled into his seat and buckled up, I asked, “Benjamin, how did you miss your bus?”
He replied, “Well, I knew the bus was running a little late during December so I got out my book. I was reading and didn’t hear them call my bus.” This grandmother’s reaction was to burst into laughter! He went on to tell me that he was reading his latest book in the “I Survived” series that I already knew he loved. He continued, “I Survived the Attack of the Grizzly is the best one yet. I Survived the Titanic was my favorite up to now, and I was going to read it again, but this one is so good.” The conversation never got around to any anxiety about being left at school. If you are lost in a good book, who cares when the bus runs?
Hands down, this is the best emergency I’ve ever had. Teaching kids how to read ranks high on my list of things that are important in life for necessities, but the luxury of a love for reading makes a very close companion. This “emergency” left me grateful that Benjamin is blessed with both.
I’ll not leave this without answering what must be your question by now, especially if you have a child in your life who is nine years old! The series is written by Lauren Tarshis and can be purchased in your favorite independent book store or other places where children’s books are sold!