いつも7時45分に家を出る息子。くつを履いて、自転車をガレージから出し、ヘルメットをかぶって、「はい、いってらっしゃい。」 勢いよく自転車で去っていく。いつものごとく、角を曲がって姿が見えなくなるまで安全を祈りつつ見送り、「やれやれ、今度は娘の番。」と家に入ろうとしたら、あらま、息子のバックパックが。。。すぐ追いかければ追いつくと思い、車に飛び乗り後を追う。案の定、すぐそこの横断歩道で自転車を止めて信号を待つ息子。すぐ横に止まって、「お~い！バックパック、バックパック！」と声をかけようとしたとたん、信号が青になりそのまま行っちゃった。バックパックなしのせいか、いかにも軽やかな漕ぎぶりですこと。。その後も後を追おうとするけど、歩道と車道は微妙に距離があって、しかも学校の周りは工事をしているし、簡単に駐車する場所もない。息子の姿は見えず。しかたなく帰宅。すると、息子から電話。「バックパック、忘れちゃった。」 というわけでもう一度学校に行って届けた次第です。頼むよぉ~。。。Our son leaves home for school around 7:45 every morning. As always, he put on his shoes, wore the helmet and got on the bike this morning. "Bye. Have a safe ride," I say. He shooted out of the garage. I saw him off as usual until he came to the corner of the neighborhood, where he made a turn. One down. Another one to go (2nd grade daughter,who I walk to school past 8:30). As soon as I came in the house, I saw his backpack sitting in the hallway. I jumped in the car and followed him. He was not far from the neighborhood, waiting for the traffic light. I yelled out of the car window, "You forgot the backpa....." The traffic light turned green, and he went across without noticing me. I tried to continue following, but there was always a good distance between the bike path and the car lane, and I just did not have luck getting his attention. I came close to the school, but as always there was a huge traffic jam around there. No place for easy park either. He was nowhere in sight. I so decided to come home. As soon as I went inside the house, the phone rang. You guessed it right. It was my boy, saying "I left my backpack!" Another trip to school followed.
