Angel In a Yellow T

Yesterday I had a very important call to make before going on a shopping binge with my daughter and her two small boys. I dialed the local police department and asked after my mysterious new friend, a two foot tall boy in a yellow t-shirt with a glowing smile. We found him wandering over the railroad tracks and down the highway Sunday night. A terrifying experience for me.

I was told something that bothered me even more than the original crisis, the boy is deaf. He smiled real big and never said a word; he looked as if he didn't understand anything we were saying and stared intently at my face when I was talking. It made me wonder. We had to bring him to the authorities as he didn't appear to know how to say anything. So he never would have heard a train coming, or a car crawling up the highway behind him. So, as if it couldn't be worse that someone let a baby disappear without noticing his absence, they let a known deaf baby disappear alone without noticing. Isn't there a law somewhere in the books that they were breaking by the irresponsibility that could have resulted in his death? Did the local yokel officer do anything about it besides just returning him to his parents?

My call answered a few questions and brought up a lot more. My daughters shopping spree never really gelled; we found no bargains. And I became a little more over protective of my grandsons; As if I wasn't a little excessive already.

I digressed comment on the phone and will again when I see his parents, which is inevitable. I can also honestly say that I will be keeping an extra close eye out for that boy for the rest of my life, so they best become more attentive. Our town is a small town, so I'm sure I'll cross paths with him many more times, only I hope he will always be in the company of responsible adults.
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3/9/2005 0:7 AM