Independence

I almost lost 3 kids today. Err, what, I hear you say! So yes, school was over, as was MUN class. And I had Sana, Albaz and Albiya to drop onto the bus from Sion to Kurla where they live. 

A short walk, a trip we do every day, led us to the bus stop. So far. So good. Just as we reach, and I’m checking for bus numbers, three buses pull up in quick succession and leave again. All three were buses my kids could have taken. But I was too slow and just not in the zone. So they left. And so we waited and waited. Until a few more buses came past- all with the wrong number. And then came another bus. And I thought it said 374. I told Albaz to get on as Sana said it was the wrong bus. But he’d already got on, and so the other two followed. As it moved off, I realised that she was right. And then I panicked. I called Abhijat, tried to tail the bus to Ghatkopar (where it was supposed to end up), called her parents and generally attempted to stay calm. As we followed the bus route, I kept my eyes peeled for the three tiny children, but I had no luck. As I sat outside the bus depot, wishing with every bus, that those three would tumble out, I started to ponder all the things that could go so wrong. In the midst of all my terrors, I got a call from an unknown number; I didn’t know whether to be hopeful or terrified. I picked up the phone, and to my complete relief I heard Sana’s voice on the other end. 

“Where are you Sana?” I asked, probably a little to quickly, betraying my terror.
“Didi, I’m home. You put us on the wrong bus Didi.” She said those words with no anger, no judgement. It was just an acceptance of what had happened, mixed with a tiny bit of fear.
“How did you get home?” I asked, wanting to know the whole story, wanting to believe in the kindness of strangers.
“Didi, I got off the bus at the next stop and caught the right bus Didi. Yes, Didi, I was scared. Yes, Albaz and Albiya were scared too. Yes, I calmed them down. Ok Didi, I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Bye.” I was asking such stupid questions by this point, in my relief.

I was so proud of her though. So very proud. She’s a kid who gets scared easily. But she didn’t freak out or panic. She just did what she had to do. I talk so much about independence in my class, and about not getting scared by things that are new. And I never thought I’d see it in action. I did not make her independent like that. I will not take credit for that, but it did fill me with joy to see how she handled that situation. It’s no mean feat for an 11 year old kid to get a 9 year old and a 6 year old home in a situation like this.