Worried Mother, Me

First of all, what in the hell is wrong with AOL?!  Sorry, if I haven't stopped by to leave a comment on your blog, but each time I go, I get that irritating message with the AOL guy telling me that the entry was deleted.  Oh well.. 

This is not why I feel so angry right now.  

I just got back from driving in circles, in the rain, downtown and back from there and my son's school looking for my son for the past hour.  Don't worry, I found him finally.  He just called from the Boys & Girls Club.  I guess word got around that I had been looking for him. 

My son Andrew ALWAYS calls me after school to let me know where he is.  I sit by the phone at that certain hour waiting for his call.  In fact I was dying to go to the bathroom, but I was afraid to leave my desk thinking that as soon as I headed to the toilet, he would call.  So, I sat there, staring at the phone.  The phone rings.  It's my mom.

"Where's Andrew?  Is he coming to my house?  Does he have a jacket?  You know it's raining."

Yes, it's raining, and Andrew still has not called.  He is somewhere wearing basketball shorts, without a sweatshirt or jacket somewhere in the rain.  If my mom knew this should be calling CPS on me.  (I'm not kidding.)  Well, I'm still sitting in front of the phone, waiting for a call.  Of course he doesn't have his cell phone with him, and I lost mine.  I am dying to go pee, but I can't leave the phone.  I realize that it's been a good 1/2 hour since school got out, and still no phone call.  He NEVER does this, so naturally, I get a little worried.  I decide to go drive to the school and see if by any chance he is waiting out there. 

I get to the school, and of course, I see a lot of wet children out there dressed in shorts with no jackets, and my son is not one of them.  I sit there staring at his sweatshirt that he refused to wear while running out from the car this morning.  (SIGH)  I decide to go inside the school, and see if he is in the library by chance.  Of course, he isn't.  I ask to use the school phone in the office, and I call work in hopes that he had called while I was gone, and of course he hadn't. 

So, I head out to the Boys & Girls Club.  Nope, not there either.  I ask to use the phone (I hate not having my cell phone.) and no, he hasn't called.  It's now been a good hour since school is out.  I am now starting to feel a bit worried. 

 I decide to go to one of his friend's homes that is nearby.   The house smells like cabbage.  The father of his friend (who resembles an overgrown elf) answers the door and looks at me like I'm crazy for being "worried". 

"Nope, my son is not home yet.  I really don't know where he is.  You know, boys will be boys..."

I should have known.  I've spoken to this guy before, and I swear he is always half stoned or something.  I shouldn't have expected any less. If I lived there I probably wouldn't go straight home after school either. 

Frustrated, I go to another home of a friend.  This time an elderly man with limited English skills answers the door. 

"No, my grandson not home yet.." 

At least this guy doesn't look like an elf.  But, man, this gets me to thinking, am I the only concerned parent out there who would worry if they couldn't find their son after school has been out for 2 hours?  When do they usually expect their sons home? At nightfall?  Aren't these people at least concerned, in this day in age when all you  hear in the news is children being snatched up in cars, molested, and killed??  Am I just overreacting??

Defeated, I drive back to work.  I go to the bathroom finally, and pee a river.  (Sorry)  At least I'll be by a phone at work, and hopefully Andrew will call.  At least I know that he is more than likely with these friends. 

Of course, Andrew calls and has a lot of excuses WHY he didn't call me before.  Yes, he was making a make up test at school for Science, and the teacher would let him call..etc...  And he just came back from the school to the Boys & Girls Club, and he was walking in the rain...etc...  And I really shouldn't be mad at him because, he has always called me before...etc..etc..

This kid is SOOOO grounded!!