Our Indepentent Son - Part 2

I really shouldn't be tell this story, it feels like a confession. Again, I want you to know that I did and do try to take care of this kid. This special kid. Here goes.

I was shopping with a friend of mine who was from out of town. We were in the old Maurices when it was next to the old Safeway. Safeway's door came out on the South side and Maurices door was right there. I planted Clark in front of one of the mirrors close to where we were; Carolyn and I were looking at the clothes on the rounds right there, I looked up and Clark was gone. Gone! We looked through the store, up and down the strip mall, I ran through Safeway's, we checked it all twice and I was ready to call the police! My biggest fear was that he would go out on the very busy Pioneer Way.

As I was in the process of calling 911 on the store phone (the days before we all had cell phones), Carolyn came in with Clark. She had found him sitting just out side the first door of the store. He was sitting there with a grocery cart that had stuff that he had put in it. He was sucking on his fingers, like he used to do, and he was waiting to be found. Talk about trust.