I Wanted to Be the One Getting Picked Up

Dear Delyara, I was sitting in the school pickup line when it came to me. I watched all the kids spilling out of the building with their giant backpacks and messy hair and heavy little feelings from the day, and I had this sudden, overwhelming longing to be the one getting picked up. To walk out carrying all my invisible stuff and see someone who knew me well enough to take one look at my face and say, “Get in. I’ve got dinner. I’ve got the rest of it. You can stop.” Instead, my son climbed in, threw his backpack on the floor, and said, “Mom, I forgot I need poster board tonight.” I laughed. What else was I going to do? But that wish stayed with me all evening: I want to be the one someone comes for.