The events of this past month have been hard. Really hard, and the tension is still running pretty high around here. The final straw in this series of very unfortunate events leading to my mega melt-down happened this past Thursday.
I lost Theo. And not just for a minute, either. For almost an hour.
The kids are on Easter break, we were invited out to dinner at a friend’s and I needed a couple of things to make a cake to take with us. I dressed the kids, did the tooth brushing regime and sent them out to get their shoes on while I quickly brushed my own and hunted down my wallet. 5 minutes later, I’m standing in the middle of the compound with two children with shoes on, one missing.
Fred and I searched the house, calling “Theo!” in every room. We offered sweets if he would come out. We dug out suitcases from under beds, searched closets, cupboards, drawers.
After 20 minutes, the panic set in. We checked the oven, the fridge, the washing machine. I scaled the water tower to make sure he hadn’t wiggled his way up there and fallen over the wall. I climbed under the car and checked up inside of it. We checked the pit-latrine at the back of the property, praying he hadn’t fallen in. Still no Theo.
30 minutes. Full fledged panic. No Theo. No noise, no movement…. nothing.
I called a couple of friends from our team here - Guys! Theo is missing… I can’t find him anywhere. I cried into the phone. He must be here, he can’t get out of the compound. They came, we searched again… and Charlee drops the bombshell. She says she let him out of the gate.
Fred was off like a shot - running full speed down to the boys house to check if he had gone there to play. The construction workers across the road all confirm that yes, the baby did go up towards the main road. The girls run, calling his name and Charlee is crying now, “I miss him so much!”.
We called the office manager from our Makindye office and she got in touch with the LC, who started to mobilize a search party on the hill. 45 minutes have passed.
Everyone was out looking for Theo, and I stayed at the house with Charlee just in case he came back. Minutes felt like eternity.
And then… from down the hall there’s a thump, just barely audible. And I find him buried in a pile of laundry in the closet.
Until that very moment, I have never felt such anger and joy at the same time. I also don’t think I really knew the full toll this month has taken on me… on all of us at the house. Fred said afterwards, “This was the scariest day of my life”, and I would agree.. along with the long list of other scariest days, Theo’s disappearing act, Charlee on life support, and another one, that’s also not so far in the past yet. These are big sadnesses that sometimes I think will never pass.
It took a 3 year old hiding on me to bring me to my knees. In the midst of one of the most intense months of my ‘adult’ life; of stress and waiting and unknown and fear, Theo’s stunt got me to pray. Like, really pray and be thankful that we’re here, together and all are OK.
Now Easter weekend has me thinking, that all sad stories can have Happy Endings. And even when you think that a Happy Ending isn’t possible, it can rise up from the dead and be better than anything you ever thought possible. And that is something that I’m willing to wait for.
Happy Easter from Matt, me and these crazy kiddos!
Chaundra
