out of this world

Picture this. The kids and I had just spent the afternoon at Out of This World Pizza with some unschooling friends. We said our goodbyes, Samuel showed off his new robot to everyone, and we drove home. Eva was worn out, Samuel was cheerful, and I even got to talk with the other moms today. A success story. Hooray!

When we came into the house Samuel checked his pant pockets and realized that Sliver and Titan were missing. What? Those two Lego guys travel most places with us inside Samuel's pockets and a lot of the time I thankfully have no idea they are even there. Today I definitely did not know they were there. I was busy looking after Chicky and making sure no one touched the new robot. We looked in all the usual places in the house, under his pillow, in with the other Lego guys, with Eva's Lou. No Sliver and Titan.

I called Out of This World Pizza to find out if they had them in their lost and found? No.

What to do? What to do? Of course we drove back over to Out of This World Pizza and while there we checked under every plasma car, inside both of the jumpy-slidey-bouncy things, under each tunnel and tube. We climbed inside- all of us- every square inch of the climbing sliding play structure that spans how many feet high? So many levels it is hard to count. Just when I was beginning to wonder {again} whether we would go home empty handed- imagining them lying somewhere alone and bereft, lost toys...Samuel climbed down one area and called up to me. "Momma they are here!"

And sure enough there they were! They had fallen out of his pocket and- get this- slid through the safety mesh that surrounds the whole play structure. There they lay, beyond the mesh, in a pile of heavy dust. Definitely bereft but no longer alone. I was so excited I went and found one of the employees and had him climb up and he came down smiling. Yes, he was excited too!

Then things really started to happen. He spoke with his manager and the manager was not nearly as excited as we were. Nothing they could do. We would have to wait until they cleaned the thing. How long until that happened? So I spoke to the manager. Words like "tomorrow when the owner comes in" and "liability" and "I could do it!" were spoken back and forth until finally I told the manager, "Look, their names are Sliver and Titan and we would very much like to take them home with us tonight." Deep sigh. He went and got a broom. Isn't a broom so handy? And then he found himself standing inside the play structure, underneath the area where Sliver and Titan lay in the dust while our employee friend directed him from above with the broom, which by the way would not fit through the mesh. I imagine if this structure were in our home we would have cut to the chase and simply used a Swiss army knife to cut through the mesh. I want to add that before the manager went inside the play structure and stood underneath the area where Sliver and Titan lay (and this is the house that Jack built...) he asked me if someone had put those toys inside there on purpose or if a bully or some other individual had stolen them to torture my daughter (Samuel). I didn't know which way would be better for us- would it have helped our case if some *bully* had stolen my daughter's (Samuel's) Lego guys and shoved them through the mesh?

After a little negotiating under the canvas and through the mesh popped first Sliver and then Titan. To say that I was elated is an understatement. To say that I was surprised? I was amazed. Now is the time for a big group hug is what I was thinking. Now is the time to name my first born son (well, you get my meaning) after the manager. Now is the time...but he would have none of it. I thanked him and he looked the other way, dusted himself off and left. He was quick too because I never even saw him leave. Not in his job description. The other employee was as thrilled as me and let me tell him he had definitely made our week. I thanked him profusely and we left- immediately! and quickly! with smiles on our faces! Hooray! {again} Because wasn't that where we had left off from?