Anonymous Mom Saves The Day!

The line for the bathroom at Starbucks was loooooong.

There were only six people in front of us, but they all were taking their time. I’m pretty sure the homeless-looking man, #3 in the queue, was there for a bath – it sure seemed that way after he’d been in the café’s only bathroom for ten minutes.

Abel, my mom and I had ventured into the Big City on Mother’s Day. We rode the T from Braintree, hopped on a shuttle bus at Broadway (they were working on the tunnel and the Red Line was temporarily shut down, downtown), then got back on the T for a couple more stops to Arlington Street. We’d waited in not-too-long a line for the Swan Boats, then checked out the Make Way For Ducklings sculpture. And now we really had to pee.

Grown-ups are pretty good at “holding it,” and waiting for the only bathroom around to be free. Preschoolers who are still potty training . . . not so good at it. When the line for the toilet had apparently stopped moving, Abel whispered to me, “I really really have to go.” Before I could figure out what to do next, the solo mom in line behind us began engaging Abel in conversation.

“Who’s that on your hat? Is that Lightning McQueen?”

“Yes!”

“My son loves Lightning McQueen. But you know who he really loves . . . . Mater!”

Abel was a little reluctant to chat with this stranger. But she seemed nice enough. And he was holding my hand. And she kept talking about all of his favorite things.

“You know who else my son likes,” she continued. “Thomas the Train.”

“Abel loves Thomas!” I chimed in.

“My son likes the blue engines,” she said. “Gordon, Edward, Thomas . . .who else is blue?”

“Mighty & Mac,” said Abel.

While I was trying to think of other blue engines, Abel was continuing his conversation with the nice lady.

“I have Jeremy’s Airfield,” he said. “Santa brought it.”

I glanced ahead of us. The line was growing shorter.

“And I have Cranky The Crane, and Smudger, and Dodge and Splatter . . .

Abel seemed to have forgotten all about his bathroom emergency.

“And I really want Victor. My dad’s going to buy him for me on the computer and Roy the mailman’s going to bring him for my birthday”

Before we knew it, it was our turn to use the bathroom.

“Thank you so much,” I gasped to the woman. “You totally saved us.”

We made it – accident averted! But just as important, I learned a valuable technique. I’ll be sure to pay it forward next time I’m in line with a little kid who isn’t sure he’s gonna make it.