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Published: March 3rd 2011
Fast Asleep
My newest travel buddy.Thirty-two hours on a train with a five year old! I always tell myself, "Its not about the destination, but the journey." Oh Gosh. This train is creeping along the west coast. We're already behind schedule due to a mudslide and been rerouted on a bus. Our journey started in Seattle and our destination is Burbank, California. Yeah, that's like 3 inches on the map. Now we're currently just outside Portland, Oregon. I keep looking forward to the beautiful scenery. The ocean, the mountains, but so far we've passed about six psychics, four junk yards, three saw mills and ten christmas tree farms.
I'm itching to talk to someone...anyone. I tend to make friends with the person in line next to me at the grocery store, so you can imagine all the possibilities on a train such as this! There's the family with the two screaming kids in front of me....tempting. There's the old man with the white beard and glasses to my right....probably interesting. The young man with headphones playing with his phone....I could make it work. I met a nice preschool teacher at the train station...too chatty (even for me). A young frustrated mother with a toddler who
was hoping to meet up with me later....hmmmm. But I think I'll stick with Owen. He's been the ultimate travel buddy. We carefully reviewed the rules before we left putting much emphasis on my rule to "carry your own stuff." And he has. His Spider Man back pack is laden with a wool coat, extra clothes (thank god), chips, and of course, his...precious (Nintendo DS) which has been our constant companion.
When we arrived at the train station in Seattle this morning we were informed that due to recent rains there had been a mudslide covering a portion of the track. We were going to be sent on a bus to Portland and then put on the train to Burbank. We had a couple of hours to kill in Seattle so I thought we'd check our bag and go for a nice walk, just Owen and I, in downtown Seattle. I asked a clerk at the train station where we could find a good place for breakfast. She said the McCoy's Firehouse. It was sunny and breezy and beautiful. The first bit of sunshine I'd felt since arriving in Seattle. We walked several blocks and found the restaurant which
turned out to be more like a bar. Since I was with Owen (and he's 5) we were asked to sit in a seperate part of the facility. The food was delicious and service superb! They even turned the bar's television to Tom & Jerry for Owen's sake! We sat and lingered over coffee and orange juice then finally decided to head back to the train station.
.
The weather can change fast there! By the time we left it was pelting us with wind and rain. So instead of a romantic stroll it was more like "Just keep your head down and run Owen! Don't let go of my hand!" We'd stop and wait at an intersection and I'd look down at my sweet little boy being tough. I knew he was cold and wet because I was cold and wet. But he didn't say a word. He stood stoic being pelted with raindrops. We ran and splashed through puddles all the way back to the station; all without a word of complaint or a gesture of hesitance. Now, that's a good travel buddy! Can I pick 'em or can I pick 'em!!??
The bus we were put
on was nice. I just put on my iPhone music and starred out the window and Owen got enraptured in his videogame. Then I remembered all the coffee and orange juice we'd had earlier. Man, I hate using the bathroom on a bus. But, it had to be done. I asked Owen, "Are you sure you don't need to go potty?" He reassured me he didn't so I left him and went. I returned to my seat, put my headphones back on....gosh, what is that smell? I look over at Owen, still playing the DS, and realize his pants are soaked. I mean soaked front and back, the seat, his socks, everything. OMG! I said, "Owen!! Did you just pee your pants?!" Without looking up from his game or missing a beat he said, "Yeah." I'm shocked first of all because he hasn't done this in probably two years and secondly because he doesn't seem to care! For once in my life I'm actually prepared and had extra clothes in his backpack.
So its not like those bus bathrooms are tiny enough but try changing a five year old's clothes in one. It just couldn't be done. I brought
him back to the bathroom and had to leave the door open and have him strip down and put his wet clothes in a bag (to throw away) and put on the pajamas I had packed for the train. Its a good thing most five year olds don't have a sense of modesty.
Now I had to deal with the wet seat. The seat was so soaked it was leaking onto my seat and now my pants were wet. As a mother sometimes you just have to suck it up and go with it. So I went with it. I just put Owen in my lap and he leaned back on my chest and fell asleep. My pants smell like pee, I have a bag of wet clothes I don't know what to do with, I'm on a bus that I had no intention of being on and I've got this sweet little boy sleeping comfortably in my arms. At that moment, there was no where else I'd rather be.
To be continued...
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Jerem
non-member comment
OMG! you have kids?
Great story! I hope the folks from the bus company don't read it....yeck.. I'm sure He'll love that this story is preserved forever when he's 15... Enjoy the rest of your trip! Come home soon!