I had an interesting experience at my daughters’ school the other day.

I received a call from the parent of one of my daughter’s friends asking if I would mind picking up her child and that child’s sibling in addition to my own kids at the end of the school day.

No problem.

I am a staple on the school yard with a perfect attendance record for number of consecutive days I’ve picked up my kids from school equalling the exact number of days they have attended school. In other words, my kids have never missed a ride home. I have a small trophy (made by me) to prove it.

I have also been contacted by various neighbours, parents of kids who are otherwise unable to pick up their own kids and will ask if I mind. I don’t. I drive right past their homes, I drive a champagne coloured mini-van I am beyond proud of and as payment I get to eat their lunch leftovers–a fair trade.

So this day didn’t seem different from any other when Greg took a phone call from the mother of a child asking if I would mind (I don’t) if I picked up her two kids and dropped them at home.

The trouble found me when I waited for the older sibling to exit the school and he never did. The three kids I had in my care helped me look on the school bus and one ran back into the school to check his classroom to see if he was lagging behind or wolfing down his lunch crumbs so I wouldn’t have to grab the bag from him while evilly giggling, “You know the drill!”

He wasn’t there.

This is where things became interesting.

The school receptionist told the sibling that her older brother didn’t come to school today.

“Oh yeah, I forgot he’s sick.”

Immediately, I became a suspect in a gruelling twelve minute long investigation. My five year clean record bought me nothing and I was asked to wait while my RFPU (request-for-pick-up) story was verified. The future of my trophy hung in the balance.

In some way, I’m relieved the school cared enough to contact the parent of these children to confirm they were in fact permitted to ride home with me in what could be described as the world’s dirtiest mini-van and in fairness that might really be what this whole misunderstanding was about.

I guess in another way, I was meant to feel insulted by these measures but I absolutely wasn’t. My concern was (as always) the safe arrival of the kids.

And the scrumptious leftovers I look so very forward to.