#Tuestimony
4 years old. I was lost outside (in my neighborHOOD). My Dad miraculously found me. <Here's the story...>
I was in Head Start at Bellemeade Elementary (Oak Grove). My parents put me on the school bus. Either they or my Big Bro would walk me to the stop, which was on a main road, 2 and a half blocks from home. And someone would we waiting for me at the stop after school. After while, the Bus Driver did the awesome courtesy of picking me up from in front of my house and dropping me off in front of my house. This courtesy went on for a long time and my Family got used to it, so they didn't need to walk me to the bus stop or wait at the bus stop for me after school. UNTIL THIS ONE DAY.....
One day, my normal Bus Driver picked me up from home and took me to school, as usual. But, an emergency happened with her that day and a substitute bus driver came to take us back home. Apparently... this silly, clueless, hateful, evil substitute bus driver was mad at the world! He followed the bus route by the book (for the most part). For all the students that were dropped off at 'special locations', this sub driver dropped them off at the designated bus stop spots for their addresses. As an adult, I can kinda understand. He was just playing by the rules and covering his behind. I get that. BUT... all the other students on the bus were older and bigger than me. For the other kids in my area who were my age... either they didn't go to Head Start/Pre-School, or their Parents drove them. So, we come down the main road, and the big stupid-head sub driver stops at a corner, opens the door, and tells me "Alright, here you go."
However, it really wasn't even my corner. He mistakenly went to the next corner (which wasn't on the bus route), but he didn't realize it. At the time, I didn't know where I was. All I knew is that the street and the houses didn't look familiar. Keep in mind... I was ~4years old. It wasn't like I paid attention to directions and surroundings every day to and from school. I just knew that when he opened the door, nothing was familiar. I tried to tell him that his wasn't my stop, but he told me to get off. So, I got off and started soft-crying. I looked left, right, front, back... I recognized nothing. Then I started bawling-crying. I chose to walk down the street I was facing when I got off the bus, with no idea that if it was the right direction or not. People were walking around outside, seeing me crying and they just kept walking like nothing was happening.
**SIDEBAR
I lived on Willis Street near Chesterman Ave. My official bus stop was on Harwood St (main road) and Willis St... so I would get off the bus and have a straight-shot walk down Willis St until I passed Chesterman Ave. But the sub driver let me off at Harwood St and Chambers St (one block past Harwood St and Willis St). For those not familiar with Southside Richmond... this is a hood/project area. We lived two blocks from "Hillside Court". No Pizza/Chinese Food deliveries. Territorial gang rivalries between nearby Project communities. Everybody was involved in drugs... either dealing or using. More people walking with guns than people walking with dogs. The 7-11 down the street got robbed once a month. <<OK, you get the point. It was a bad neighborhood.>> I said all that to say that it's not surprising that adults walked right past an alone, obviously frightened, crying kid. It wasn't the business of any of the adults. And none of em knew me. That's the nature of that area.
END SIDEBAR**
Anyhoo, I made it a little ways down this random street... and looked as far as my sight could go. I saw someone walking toward my direction that looked kinda familiar, but I couldn't quite make him out... with my teary-eyed, toddler vision and all. But he spotted me, paused for a second, and then started running toward me and screaming my name. That's when I realized it was my Dad. He got to me, picked me up, and carried me home. Dad had no business on that street at all. It wasn't like he was looking for me. My bus driver normally dropped me off in front of my house, where my Mom was. And it wasn't late, so there was nothing to alert them that something was wrong. In fact, I had gotten off the bus early because the sub driver didn't take the time going house-to-house. Dad was never into exercising... but on that day... for some reason... he got the impulse to go for a walk. Furthermore, that impulse told him to go to the next block to start his walk. So, instead of walking straight up Willis St, which is what most people would have done... he went up a block to Chambers St for no reason, which just so happened to be the street I was lost on and walking down. I dont believe all of that was a random coincidence. My Faith tells me God sent Pops out there to find me!
[P.S. Parents/Big Bro walked me to the bus stop and picked me up from the bus stop every day after that.]