Savannah and Sean were asleep in their room, unaware that they were about to be plucked from their beds to never return to their home in Harlingen, Texas.
My dad made the call from Shreveport as I sit in my room waiting for the police to come. I had asked him to do it so I could get off the phone as soon as possible. Everything was so calm and quiet. I could hear my heart pound in my head. There was no other sound.
My husband was surprised when he answered the knock. I started breathing again and came out of my bedroom. They separated us to question us. It was obvious to the Officer that I had reached my limit. I wanted to take the children and a few of their favorite things and never look back. I was willing to leave everything else.
It was about eleven P.M. by the time I drove away from a home that the children never returned to. I am not sure why the Officer told my husband they were escorting us to a shelter. I had not been physically assaulted. Apparently, he felt like we needed to be in a sheltered environment. All I wanted to do was get to the room my dad had reserved at La Quinta. I needed to sleep then construct a plan. I knew I needed to get as much information on record as possible, so I followed the advice of the Officer. The children were clueless and quiet. I found out later that Savannah was worried about being awakened because it was a school night. They never returned to their schools.
After a very long intake, it was close to two in the morning by the time we were taken to our room. It was impossible to stay another night at the shelter and follow the house rules. Sean was adventurous and hard to manage. I decided to leave the next afternoon. Somehow, in the midst of trying to leave, I locked my key in the trunk. I always kept a spare wired to the underside of the car but when I went to get it, it was gone. I sunk to the ground. I had a weak moment but in that moment I reminded myself that I was now in control. The key had been removed - so what?
I called the locksmith then I called my beloved friend Pat. Without hesitation she offered us her home. As I made my way to Pat's I thought about the last sixteen years. Finally, something had taken my mind off the autism.
"I don't ever remember feeling this awake" ~Thelma
