Short Story Long......

Whether I walk or drive I am always one of the first parents at the school waiting for my child. One, because I don't want anyone else to snatch her. Two, because I don't want her to worry and Three, just because I am a person early to everything. Yesterday was a different story.. I was at my moms just chatting away, I knew I had to get going but I totally had time so I wasn't in a rush. As I left my moms to make the twenty minute drive home it was raining hard, rain turned to slush, slush turned to snow and traffic was hardly moving. I wasn't worried yet, I just knew I would not be the first mom today, I was only going to be five or ten minutes late. As I round the corner to her school it looks like a ghost town, I don't see anyone! Now I start to worry! I pull up front and there is my beautiful girl huddled under an umbrella with a (mean) teacher ( why they were not waiting inside, it makes me mad they made her wait in the snow). Aspen comes running towards me and has fear and disappointment written all over her face. The second she gets in my car I see her hair, jacket, shirt and pants are soaked, her hands and cheeks are freezing!! She asked me in such a sad voice what took me so long. I try to explain to my six year old about the weather and traffic, she just stares at me with the saddest look in her eyes. I quit talking and asked how she felt. She thought that I was at the hospital having this baby and her dad didn't know it was early out. She said she felt so alone, my heart broke. She goes on to tell me that she wanted to call me but she felt dumb asking to use the phone. Then she says, " I tried to be brave and not cry mom, but I did have one tear run down my cheek". By this point my heart is shattered, I felt so bad I was fighting back my own tears. We hurry home so we can put her in warm dry clothes. When we walked in the door I got on my knees and gave her the longest hug ever, she said it was OK and that she was over it. Twenty-four hours later, I am still not over it. Although I promised her it would never happen again, we practiced what she should do just in case.... I love you Aspen