Forgotten child

All three kids go to three different schools this year which means three different bus times in the afternoon.  Joel gets home at 2:30 and Norah around 3.  Then Colin comes home around 4.  Joel and Colin can just get off the bus and walk into the house. But for kindergarteners we need to show a card with a number on it that matches a number on Norah's backpack. Her bus driver Miss Patty knows me by now but I always walk out with the card in case she has a substitute bus driver. If you aren't there at the bus stop they will bring the kindergartners back to school to wait for their parents. One little girl had to ride the bus back to school because her grandmother wasn't at the bus stop one day.  Norah was very concerned for her friend and also that I wouldn't be there one day.  I assured her that I would always be there especially since I always had to be there for Joel before her. I told her if I wasn't out at the bus stop then have the bus driver just honk and I would come outside....

Well its a good thing we had that discussion because a few weeks ago I completely forgot about Norah.  Joel had come home from school and I had gotten him a snack and we talked about the day.  Then usually I will go outside and wait for Norah.  But somehow that day I completely forgot about her.  I went to the bathroom and heard someone honking really loud but I thought it was on the street behind us. Then I went into all the bedrooms and gathered up laundry and was putting clothes in the washer when I heard the honking again. And again and again. It took me a few minutes to realize that it was Norah's bus!!!! I ran out of the house to a very upset child who was afraid of going back to school.  Thankfully Norah is the last child on the bus because I'm pretty sure she had been outside honking for me for over 5 minutes.  Her bus driver was a little annoyed.

Norah doesn't know that I completely forgot about her. Norah thinks her bus was early that day since a few kids were absent and they could skip those stops. I didn't want to tell her yet that I just forgot about her or she would be a nervous wreck every afternoon waiting to see if I was outside waiting for her.  Colin thinks its all hilarious and likes to tell me that I have never forgotten about him.