Kai was a lost boy!

Friday, 17 May, Kai became a lost boy for real.

I got a WhatsApp voice message at 2.12 pm from N saying that she couldn't find Kai. She was late due to traffic and informed her friends, fellow helpers waiting outside the school, to tell Kai to wait. I called the general office to ask them to do an announcement to get Kai out, in case he was playing somewhere. But no.

The form teacher called me. All the students had been dismissed but she would go check the school compound. N went to the bus stops to search. She thought Kai might have gone home by himself. So I called the concierge to keep watch and alert me when they saw him.

As time went by, I kept wondering where he could have been. We were just talking about a playdate with a classmate that morning but he didn't want to go coz he didn't know the mum. (Sito: He's playing with his friend, not his friend's mum!) So in case he somehow went home with the kid though he didn't want to and it wasn't that day itself, I dropped the fellow mum A-T a text anyway. She called back to say no, and got info from her son that Kai was still in the classroom when he left. But that could be due to the teacher dismissing students accordingly to pickup point.

At the point, I just sat at my office desk, not quite knowing what to do. I mean, where do I go to look?? But by about 2.45 pm, the time when he should have got back by bus but there was still no word from the concierge, I decided to go. To school, I think. Coz I didn't manage to think much before A-T called me to say that she would go to the school to look so that I could go home to look. Later, I learnt that she is a TA so she is familiar with the school. She sent me texts after every place she searched - bless her!

On the cab home, I told N to go home. She suggested Kai might have fallen asleep in the bus. She has sent me photos of Kai in various sleeping poses before.

Also discussed with Sito and decided to call the police. Told them all I knew, and asked them to trace his farecard. But they need the CAN number behind the card to trace! But it's a concession card with ID! Argh...

I got home, dropped my stuff, and dug into my drawer to find a copy of his farecard - only the front, no back! I decided to head to Woodlands bus interchange where the bus service terminates. N came back just as I was leaving. I told her to stay put and wait for my call.

On the way to Woodlands, I found a photo of the back of his card on my phone! Thank goodness I took pictures of just about everything! I sent it to the police officers. By then, I was letting my imagination run wild. I mean, he knows my mobile number by heart so why didn't he call?!

Woodlands bus interchange was huge! I went to the alighting place - no crying boy. And there were stalls there so if they saw one, they would have helped already?? Went towards the passenger service counter. When the guy came out to scan my card and learnt that I wasn't on the same bus with him, he said I would have to go to the office to trace his CAN number.

At that moment, about 3.45 pm, I got a call from concierge - he got home!!! I got N to go fetch him and pull him in front of the living room camera so that I could confirm it was indeed my precious!

I had alerted both police and A-T who called in between - I think I made some 40 calls in those two hours! - and they were eagerly waiting for my confirmation. In fact, A-T said the P, all the VPs and some HODs and teachers were gathered at the clock tower, waiting for my call! Famous already, this Sito, as he is known in school.

All were glad to hear he was alright. The police said they would go take a statement. I also made my way home - and had to bother concierge again coz I had no money for taxi! Got N to bring money down and go straight back to stay with the kid. The concierge said he wasn't crying when he came back.

So glad to see this boy! He looked a little cheeky and scared though; he thought we would scold him. Well, that came later.. First, we needed to find out what happened!

N was right - he fell asleep on the way home and missed the bus stop. He said an uncle on the bus brought him to his brother who showed him how to take the bus back. It baffled me why no one thought to call the parents!

Anyway, we got more info on Tuesday (Monday was a public holiday) when N brought him home - they took the bus that sent Kai to Woodlands! Or rather, the driver. He said Kai was crying that day! This boy told us he did not cry, and he was only a little scared when we probed. I asked him why he didn't tell us, and he was coy about it. I think he felt embarrassed. This boy ah... And it turned out that the driver was the uncle who brought Kai to his brother who drove the other bus.

His form teacher Mdm S called to speak with Kai later in the evening. Later, she emailed me that she would personally hand Kai over to N for the whole of next week. She would drill it into him that he was not to do that without an adult's knowledge!

On Wednesday, she called me again as the school counsellor would like to speak with Kai. I gave my consent. When I asked Kai about this on Thursday morning on the way to school, he told me it was a man who asked him about Friday, and "Why does everyone like to ask me about that?!"

Famous already. Or infamous??