TGIF

because Thursday wasn't so good. Sarah went missing after school.

She was first discovered missing by the school bus driver who had been waiting for her in order to set off. School was alerted, I was alerted, my parents got alerted since they happened to be over at our place and school called there.

Half an hour of a lot of calling and messaging back and forth, keeping Sean updated and waiting for further updates and general high tension later, the school was able to tell me that she had been located at a childcare centre with another classmate.

This place is one kilometre and two main roads away from school! The two primary 1 girls had walked there all by themselves - that's like walking down the entire Orchard Rd from CK Tang to Centrepoint! This was the classmate's regular after-school-care place, but her parents normally took her there, and they too couldn't find her when they first went to school to take her. It was the centre who called the school to say that their ward had brought a friend along. I'm thankful they had the sense to report the appearance of a school kid who evidently was not on her usual way home.

So, both girls were brought back to school by the other girl's parents to give an explanation of what they were up to, and Sean went to school to get Sarah home since the school bus couldn't wait anymore and had left long ago.

Anyway. We didn't stop nagging until she went to bed. Even now, I still can't stop thinking about how she is once more the target of a more dominating child. Her classmate was the one who asked her to go with her, who pulled her to leave by another school gate, and even made Sarah carry her school bag for her along that one kilometre stretch! And this girl isn't even one of her usual friends. And Sarah, being the compliant, helpful child that she is, simply did as that girl told.

I don't think we'll be forgetting this in a hurry.