Saturday 8th August

I got a phone call on Friday that made my heart stop.

Let me start by saying that everything was fine in the end, but the sheer panic that ensued for the longest 10 minutes of my life, is something that I NEVER want to have to experience again.

Ever!

I was on the phone to a friend, organising Friday night drinkies.
When I hung up, there was a message on my phone, so I listened to it.
It was the after school care centre that Rhian goes to.
"Hi, this is Blah from Oscar house. Rhian hasn't turned up this afternoon, and we were just wondering if she is absent. Can you please call us back as soon as possible on 555 5555"

FUCK!!

My heart literally stopped beating, then pounded at a million miles an hour while I tried to remember how to use a phone!

I managed to calm myself down long enough to call them back.

Sure enough, Rhian was missing.
All she has to do is walk across the courtyard at school, through a gate in the fence, and she is at Oscar House.
Today, that hadn't happened.

I was told not to worry, and that a staff member would go and check the school grounds and call me back.
I could barely breathe...

I called Chris.
"Have you picked Rhian up early today?"

"No, why?" he replied.

"Oh My God - she hasn't turned up at Oscar and it's 3.35pm and she is half an hour late and they haven't seen her"

His response: "I'm on my way right now - I will be at school in 5 minutes"

Then my phone rang again - it was Jeremy.

Oscar House had rung him too, and he had called Chris as well to see if he had picked her up early.

I hung up from him and felt like vomiting.
I honestly felt like I was going to be sick right there at my desk.
There was NOTHING I could do.
So I waited.

It was the longest 5 minutes of my life.
I could feel and almost hear my heart pounding in my chest.
My stomach felt like someone had taken all my intestines and tied them up in knots.
I had to actually concentrate on my breathing to ensure I wouldn't hyperventilate.

Finally my phone rang - it was Oscar House.
They had found her, playing out in the school playground with a friend from her class.

RELIEF!!!

It turns out that an older girl fro a higher class usually collects the 4 kiddies from Rhian's class and takes them over to the Oscar House, but on Friday, she was sick.
So, the 4 youngsters decided to make their own way over there, which normally wouldn't be a problem, cos they have done it before and they all just go as a group.
But on Friday they all decided to go their separate ways and do their own thing.
Rhian was walking over by herself, and saw her friend (with her mother) and decided to stop for a play.
Of course she had NO IDEA of what the consequences of her not turning up to after school care on time, so she just played - oblivious to the utter panic that was going on about it all.

It made me feel sick - totally ill. And it also had me beating myself up about the fact that she even has to go to after school care in the first place.
Oscar House is literally next door to the school. There is a gate in the fence of the school, and the kids have to cross the courtyard to get there - it is no more than a 50 metre walk from Rhian's classroom.

Being a mum sucks some times......

But on the upside.... Friday night drinkies was very much needed, and very very enjoyable!!