Five years ago, I gave birth to an adorable little brown eyed boy. He filled my life with laughter and wonder. This past Sunday, he decided to give me a taste of fear. My little boy wandered off on a little adventure which resulted in a very panicked mommy.
We had a big heat wave hit us this weekend, it was in the high 80's, low 90's, and none of us were feeling very well. My boys and I don't handle heat at all, and poor Dylan was the worst of us all. He was sick to his stomach, and was as cranky as an old man. I finally got him to lie down with an ice pack and he drifted off to sleep. Two hours passed, and it was time to take his brothers back to their dad. Grandma and I agreed it was best to keep Dylan at home where he could stay cool and get his rest. So the boys and I left.
I returned home less than an hour later to see Grandma sitting on the couch. "Oh, I just came downstairs to wait for Dylan to wake up. I haven't heard a peep out of him." I looked over to the other couch and saw the now thawed out ice pack on my couch. That was odd, he was downstairs in his bed with that, why was it on the couch? I went down to see if he was playing, no lights were on. "Hmm, maybe he went back to bed." I turned the lights on, and saw his bed had been abandoned. My curiousity increased, I called out to him and there was no answer. He'd always answer me when I called out to him. I looked in the bathroom, rushed upstairs and checked every room in the house. No Dylan. Alarms began to ring in my head - my little boy was not anywhere in the house. It had dawned on me that Dylan knew the older boys had gone next door to go swimming, maybe there was a chance he went there looking for us. I quickly walked to the pool, nobody had seen him. I continued to walk over to the playground at the park. Still no Dylan. Alarms turned to panic. I was on the phone with Kenny who was trying to keep me calm. The more people answered "no," the more panicked I became. I turned hysterical. My heart felt heavy, my mind was racing. By this time, there were a handful of people who were helping me in my search. Visions of Dylan being lost somewhere flashed through my mind. All I could see was my little guy, scared out of his mind, calling for me. I ran back to the house to see if Grandma had found him yet, all I got was another "no." At that time, it was decided to call the police. The one call I dreaded having to make.
"9-1-1...What's your emergency?"
"My son is missing. He's gone. I can't find him!!!" I sobbed, grasping onto my phone in desperation.
"How old is he ma'am?" the operator asked.
"He's five. He has brown hair, brown eyes. He's gone!!!!" I cried.
She immediately dispatched for an officer to come to my address. Then she said to me, "Ma'am, we're going to issue an Amber Alert. I need all the information you can give me. We will find him."
Amber Alert. Oh. My. God. Please. No. I sobbed harder. My heart died. My body was numb. I had heard of other kids going missing, some are found, some are not. Then I started thinking about what picture I was going to pick for them to use. Visuals of my son on the news flashed through my mind. My worst fear was staring at me in the face. My Dylan. Missing. Lost. Scared. Alone.
By this time, I was walking along Portland Avenue. I ran across some of the other neighbors who were helping me, the answer was still "no." I saw a man and two little boys walking up at the far end of our towhome complex. The smallest boy reminded me of Dylan. "That should be my boy." As I continued giving details to the operator, I couldn't take my eyes off the little boy. I wanted so badly for him to be my son. The closer I got to them, the more he looked like Dylan. I started to get angry at my eyes for deceiving me. This boy was wearing a different shirt than the one Dylan wore to bed. There was no way it could be him. When we were about a block apart, that little boy did in fact become Dylan.
MY BOY!!! I ran to him as fast as my sandalled feet could go. One sandal felt like it was going to fall off, I didn't care. I had to get to Dylan before he would disappear again. As soon as he saw me, he ran to me, "Mommy! Mommy!" I cried harder, I couldn't believe my little boy was found!!! I felt like I ran for miles, I felt like I couldn't get to him fast enough. We finally met, and I grabbed him into a hug and we fell to the grass. I told the operator I had my baby, he was ok and thanked her for helping. She was just about to hit the button to release the Amber Alert. The emergency was cancelled. I didn't need them anymore.
I had my baby in my arms. I sobbed, Dylan said, "It's ok mommy. Meet Cody!" I followed the direction his finger was pointed to, and found a boy just a little older than him, and saw a man standing next to him. The man was sobbing, too. He explained to me that he lived over in the neighborhood about a half mile around the corner, and had seen Dylan walking along the street. The man and his son walked my boy back in the direction he came from, hoping he'd find something familiar.
In this dangerous world we live in, my son was in the arms of an angel who helped him find a kind stranger to guide his way back home. I could not believe it. Dylan wasn't scared, he wasn't crying. The man said, "Your son is very brave. And he loves you very much, it shows." I thanked him for helping Dylan, and told him he was a good man.
Later that night, after a bath and bedtime lullaby, I watched my son as he slept. I cried again. I thanked God for blessing me with three wonderful boys, and thanked Him for bringing my son back home again. I never want to live through that hour again as long as I live. I pray that any other mother or father out there who has a missing child will be reuinted with their children again. I pray that nobody will have to live their worst nightmare. I pray that God will continue to carry my children in His hands.
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