A few weeks ago I got an alert from the school district. I should let you know that school communications have advanced tremendously and now we get a combination of email and text messages, as we prefer, about any number of events, most unimportant and some slightly embarrassing, like an unexcused absense because we didn’t want to end a long weekend away. I’m sure these communications sound archaic by the time you read this.
In any case, this specific alert was of real concern. Someone on your bus #33 used mace or bear spray sometime on the morning ride into school, and affected kids were going to be checked by the school nurse. I was working at home, as usual, when I saw the email come in and ran upstairs to tell your Mom. She had already seen the notification by then, ever prepared for these events that otherwise never happen.
The emergency made us… laugh. We knew you weren’t hurt and hoped you weren’t uncomfortable. In our relatively sleepy neighborhood, this was a significant event that amounted to a little kid probably taking a spray out of a garage and showing it off on the bus. When you came home, you confirmed as much.
We asked you about how you felt and you said that you were OK but everyone started sneezing at the same time. That must have been a sight (and super spreader event). Later, you drew a side-profile image of the inside of the bus and everyone sneezing, like you said, in a domino effect. I believe that scents can create the most vivid memories, like a bad cologne can take you back to a junior high dance. If you ever smell bear spray again, I bet you’ll be transported right back to that bus #33.
In other news, your Mom and I took a childless vacation to Austin, Texas, for the first time in years and left you and Matteo to stay between Grandma Vicki’s house and with our neighbors Lindsey and John. I think we cared so much about the childcare coverage and school hand-off logistics that we didn’t realize we set you both up for a first sleepover with your neighbor friends Aliyah and Austin. As expected, you both did really well, save Matteo almost getting hit by a car at the bus drop off. We were so excited to see you upon return and it only took about half a day before you begged us to watch Glitter Force and protested that Matteo got to watch more shows than you.
All things settle back to normal quickly, be it sibling rivalry or bear sprayed busses.
Love, Dad