In unrelated news...

Let’s rewind the clock to a couple of weeks ago. It was a Friday night close to 7PM—and dark outside because we hadn’t sprung ahead yet. Mason asked to head down the street, 7 houses to be exact, to play with his best buddy. My answer is almost always yes regardless of weather or time of day. I didn’t think twice, and Mason was out the door as fast as a kid with focus issues can get out the door.

About three minutes after his departure, I get a group text from his buddy’s mom.

Police? Searching for a guy? Stopped Mason?

Enough information to make my hair stand on end. I needed to get to Mason, but no way was I going to walk the unsafe streets of our very safe neighborhood to get there. So I hopped in my car—before opening the garage, of course. I didn’t need any uninvited passengers hopping in on my 200 yard journey down the street. When I arrived, Mason was pumped full of adrenaline. “Mom! The cops were chasing me down the sidewalk in their car. They tried to pull me over, but I wouldn’t stop. Not even when they said, ‘come here, we need to talk to you.’ But then I slowed down because I realized they were real cops and they needed to ask me if I saw someone wearing a green coat and khakis.” So proud of Mason for handling such an unexpected situation so well, and in the dark night by himself nonetheless. His account may have been a bit outrageous, but as the texts came in throughout the night, it all seemed plausible. 

And that was that. Not a single mention on social media or local papers regarding the incident. Fast forward to yesterday around lunchtime during the pouring rain when Camryn casually mentions that there is a guy in a green coat in our backyard. 

Green coat and khakis! If this is the fugitive the police were looking for, they could have probably called off the search and just called the local internet company. Case closed. Geesh!