While working in the concession stands at Levi's baseball game last night, I was holding Roman and visiting with a close friend, when her little 4 year old boy, Jarred, walked up to the back door of the hut, and said, "Trina, Abram is a long ways off! He went with a big person and a little person!" My heart skipped a beat, and I raced out of the stand to find my little 5 year old blonde haired boy. Jarred pointed to the large orchard beside us and said they were in there, but he couldn't find him anymore.

 

I first began to walk briskly calling out his name. There was no response, so I cupped my hands together and hollered again. There were many children's voices behind me, and I began to be confused by the sounds. I even thought I heard a child crying. That's when all the fears you have has a mama begin racing through your mind. I began to yell trying to get my voice to carry even further, and I picked up my speed. Where was he, and who was he with? I just wanted the person, who he was with, to know that I was coming for him, and watch out!!

 

I was running at a steady pace now in the center of the rows of the trees. There were branches all over the ground from the fresh spring pruning. Jarred was in tow, worried and calling out Abram's name too now. I tried to keep my composure, but all I could focus on now was the little white house peeking out at the end of the long aisle of trees. As I came to end of the row, I saw a hispanic woman with a little hispanic boy standing along side of her. She was watching me race up the aisle, hollering for my baby. She began to wave her hand, as if to pleasantly say hello. At that moment Abram jogged over to see who she was waving at, and inside his hand was a capri sun. I was terrified! I told him to come to me. He obeyed. She didn't speak english, but she tried to say with her smile that all was well. I half-heartedly smiled back, and began to walk away with Abram and scold him profusely.

 

While walking back through the trees with the two boys, I began to explain the hazard of such a decision. I thought I had explained it thoroughly to him before, but I guess he didn't quite understand the depth of danger . My heart was still racing, although I felt relief as well. I wanted to sit down and cry from thankfulness, but I continued on back to the field. Jarred's Mommy was at the end of the orchard line watching her littlest one and my Roman, and you could see on her face anxiousness as well. We knelt down and had a long lecture on the what-ifs of running off. I found one of my older boys, and had the boys stay close to him while we finished out the evening selling gatorades and m&ms.

 

On the way home, while all loaded in the suburban, I told Den the story. He was umpiring and was completely oblivious of the happenings. That's when Abram broke down. As he was overhearing all of our conversations about how we may have never seen him again, and all the scary circumstances, he began to cry. He told me that now he was worried. It was a tough call to know how far to take it. I don't want him to live in fear, but I also don't want that kind of ignorance to happen again either.

 

When we arrived home, he wanted me to hold him on my lap, and he told me how sad he was that something like that could have happened to him. He wanted some love, which I quickly donated freely. Later on, I left him on the couch so I could tend to bedtime routines, and he said that he felt like he needed sometime to be alone to think it all over. I chuckled, continuing to try to lighten the mood, and said, "Okay Abram, don't overthink it honey, but mull it over for awhile." It makes me sorrowful to think how one moment can change someone's life, not just mine, but now his. I think he will forever feel different about the innocence of such freedom.