Even though I Know how very far apart...

When we did the Florida holiday - the same holiday of the terrible sickness on the plane - we spent a day at each of the resorts.

One day we went to Typhoon Lagoon. Gran, Si, Me, Boy and Tooli.

Tooli was 6, Boy was 9. We arrived, got our "things", and found a space on a lovely sandy "beach". Boy was beside himself, jumping around. "I'm just going to nip down there and look at the river okay?". "Okay", We shouted, as we arranged out towels, and beds.

An hour passed, and Boy did not return from the River. Si and I left Tooli with Gran and wandered down to the river, picked up an inflatable and set off down the river to find him.

We covered the whole area, and ended back where we started. Still no Boy, and he hadn't been back.

I went to the "Lost" station. The Lost People had to turn themselves in, not the people who had lost them.

We left Gran sitting, and the two of us headed round the park to try and find him. We searched every slide, every bay, every tidal pool.

We got back to Gran, reassured only by the fact that we hadn't seen any ambulances, or police. Still no alerts that a child thought he was missing.

We opened our lunches, one pack sitting for Boy for his return, and then, two and a half hours after he "went for a look", he appeared, exactly from where he came.

He hadn't realised that the river was so long. He had sailed for some time, and then decided he better get out. Got out, found that we weren't there. Decided to get back on the river to try and reach us, and so it continued. Stopping at various points to see if he could find us, when we weren't there, sometimes he stopped and tried out the slides, or pools that were there.

After believing that he had circled the whole park, he started on the different ponds. Still no joy. Then he had hit on the idea of swimming across the tidal pool to where the attendant was, not realising he was swimming straight into the waves. The attendants soon sent him back.

Luck had him stumble upon us again. I was so glad to see him back.

When he left our "space" again. he left with his Dad.

When he left to go to College, I felt the same loss. He was away, but I knew he was out there somewhere, having the time of his life.

Now, I'm getting excited because in less than 14 days, I will have my Boy back in my arms again. And when he leaves the house the next time.... I'll be with him, cause he'll be taking me for the pint he promised me before he left!