Horror of horrors (part II -- don't worry, it also ends well)

For about 10 minutes this morning, we thought we had lost Jack.

It happened after we woke up to snow -- yes, more snow! -- but we just expected that the day would proceed as usual (albeit with more layers).

So John walked Jack to the bus stop in our village at about 8:15 and left him there to play with his friends, and then we drove the girls (who were a bit pokey getting ready) to their school at about 8:35. When we arrived, the bus was still parked in front and all of the big kids were still playing in the yard. The teachers, the bus driver, the lunch lady, and a bunch of parents were all busy conferring and looking very serious... I tried to listen in and it sounded like the roads (especially the one to Jack's school) were very bad this morning.

Next thing we knew, les grands of Magny (anyone over 6 who lives in the village where the preschool is located but goes to school in one of the other villages) were heading into the girls' classroom and Maitresse Maud was FIRMLY telling them that they were to draw pictures and NOT play with the toys or small children. Did they understand? Oui, Maitresse, they all said in unison.

Apparently, the bus would not be running this morning, the cantine would be closed, and children would attend whatever school they happened to be at. The lunch lady said she would have to call ALL of the parents to let them know their children would be coming home for lunch that day (quite a bummer for those who work in Beaune or Dijon). It was chaotic, but we continued to take off the girls' winter clothes and switched them into their slippers.

Maitresse Maud then asked (hopefully, I must admit) if we'd be taking the girls home, perhaps? Or leaving them to spend the morning with les grands? I couldn't explain quickly or clearly that we had the momentum going to head back to school after a time away, and that it might be even more stressful for them to return tomorrow if they didn't go today, so instead I just said they'd stay at school, if that wasn't any trouble.

Not the answer she was looking for, but the best one I could give at the moment. I know I am surely not high on her list of favorite people this morning (but that list is quite long given the chaos of the day, and I will try to make it up to her somehow).

Then they said that we could try to drive Jack to his school, or have him stay at the classroom in our village where the biggest kids go to school. So, at about 8:45, we headed up the icy hill to the school in our village...

...and walked into the playyard where LOTS of kids of various ages were playing... but we didn't see Jack anywhere.

 Oh no (that's not what I actually said... but you get the idea).

We talked to the teacher who said she had not seen Jack either, and who made it clear he could come to class that morning if he'd like. She crossed her fingers in hopes that we'd find him.

We slowly drove home, my stomach tightening at the thought of how scared he might be. We almost didn't make it up the little hill in front of our house... but when we pulled in, we thankfully saw a huddle of blue winter coat sitting by the front door (looking like he might have been crying, but also looking VERY brave, like a guy who might be eight, or even ten).

He said someone's dad drove by and said the bus wasn't running. Most of the big kids went to their classroom, and one or two other kids walked home. So he walked home. And waited. A very LONG time, he said. At least TWENTY MINUTES, he told us.

Poor guy.

Thankfully, he was quickly fortified by a cookie and lots of hugs, and we suggested that he could spend the morning at the local school and that he'd come home for lunch and we'd make a plan after that. So John walked him back and talked to the teacher. She asked if he had been a bit afraid and he nodded. Because he had mostly just been nodding while John spoke with the teacher in French, she asked John if Jack speaks French. He assured her that he does pretty well and explained the whole situation of how he goes to French immersion in Canada (after all, this teacher only just met him and us and was justifiably curious about whether this unexpected arrival in her classroom would have any idea what was being said). She was happily reassured to learn Jack speaks French and that we understood to pick him up for lunch at 11:35 as no bus means no cantine.

And just a few minutes ago, Jack's teacher called (ugh, the telephone! But we were also relieved that the telephone was working, as it seems to go in and out of service with with the wireless some days and hadn't been working when we got home last night) to make sure we found him (word gets around in a small, small town) and to say that unless there is more snow, the bus will run as usual after lunch. I promised that we'd wait with him at the bus stop until it came.

So they are all (briefly) safely at school, and it will be good to have them all home for lunch today, too.

Quel drame!