It has been a crazy few days. Or I should say just one day was crazy. The day we were leaving Venice the beginning of my worst nightmare happened. I say the beginning because it ended up okay but it was the thing I have always feared the most. One of my kids got away from me in a foreign country. Yep...thank God it was my older one because if it was my baby I can't even imagine what would have happened.
We were on the water taxi with all our luggage headed to the train station. We got off the boat and after having searched and searched for the kids perfect souvenirs and finding them, we realized Jake had left them on the boat. So he ran back and jumped on board to get it. Well, Gracie and I are standing on the dock and I quickly realize Jake didn't come back out of the boat. It was gone...with him on it! Naturally I FREAKED out. I was running around like a crazy lady to the workers in a panic. I was trying so hard to be calm so I could explain what had happened. I was begging her to get on the walky talky and have her talk to the boat driver and make sure I knew where to get him.
Well, as with all things in Italy it just isn't that easy. One would think there would be an efficient communication system between the boat drivers, the dock stations, the central station, etc. Nope. It's all somewhat relaxed. Relaxed I was not. All I could think was please Jake, do what we've always taught you...find another mom or go to the police and tell them what happened. I just wasn't sure, at 13, what his smart little self would do. Would he stay on the boat till it came around again? Would he get off at the next stop? Should I stay where I was so he could come back to me? Should I jump in the damn Grande Canal like a lunatic mother who has lost her son and start swimming after him?? And if I did that, what would I do with Gracie? She could hardly stand there with our three suitcases and wait for me to figure it out! Needless to say I was seriously in a panic.
The girl helping me was wonderful but in my opinion WAY to calm about the whole thing. She kept telling me it would be fine, we will find him. What she didn't understand is that there is no calm when your kid is lost in a foreign country with no ID, no phone, no money, and there are really bad guys all over the place and he would be the perfect steal for someone to send to some Ukrainian male prostitution ring.
She finally convinced me to leave that spot and go to the main terminal station where headquarters are and they could help us talk to all the boat drivers and find him. We hop on over the HUGE bridge (I say hop extremely sarcastically...there are about 150 stairs and my suitcases easily weighed about 300 lbs each at this point) at the top of which I start having a panic attack. I start realizing I can't breath. I am going to have a full blown freak out. I am sweating, hyperventilating, and about ready to sit down on the stairs and cry my little eyes out. No, I didn't do it. I made myself keep going so I could find my baby!
Long story short, the boat people were no help at all. I found out later they told him to get off the boat and walk back to where I was at the train station. By himself. Hello...God provided an angel woman who walked back with him and took him straight to the polizia at the terminal. They called the hotel where I had stayed who called me and told me he was there. At that point and in the middle of the boat managers office in front of everyone, I burst into tears and lunged into the arms of the woman who helped me for a big comforting hug. My boy was okay.
We were reunited at last and after hugs and tears we made a new plan for if we are ever separated again. Gracie, being Gracie, pipes in and says, "Well thank goodness that wasn't me, because I would be lost forever. I am too shy to talk to anyone!" Girl cracks me up.
We finally made it to Verona after an emotionally exhausting few hours and then...my computer broke. Apparently bouncing my laptop up and down bridges was not good for the internal components of the stupid thing. It has been fixed thanks to another angel in disguise.
God has looked upon me and smiled today and I thank Him.
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