It was Father’s Day, 2006. It was a beautiful day, and as usual, we were hosting a party. Bringing the family together is very important in my home, so large parties are not uncommon. With a good sized home and six acres of land, we had all the room in the world. Mom and I were in the front of the house doing some yard work, while Dad got the grill ready in the back. Nicholas, my brother, who was barely one at the time, slept soundly in the house. My other brother, Aristotle, who was four, was…?
The day rolled on like any other party day, when dad came in the front and asked “Where’s Ari?” Mom and I had figured that he was with Dad. “We don’t know”, we said. Okay, well with two little boys running around the house this was no big deal. So I went inside looked for him. I checked downstairs, upstairs, the bedrooms, the basement, and then I was in attic (which does not require stairs). The outside was thoroughly searched and now panic was setting in. But, it was still noon, and there was plenty of daylight which was going to come in handy. By now, we had all confirmed that Ari was nowhere to be found.
I began broadening my search by covering the perimeter of the property. I had gotten to my neighbor’s house and was asking all them if they had seen the little boy when my dad pulled in the driveway, apparently with the same intention. I jumped in the car and I asked if he had called the police. He said yes and now my stomach was in a knot and was getting tighter by the second. With most of the neighbors now informed about the little missing boy we received more help. Dad dropped me off at the house while he went to check with more people. I went into the house again to see if maybe we hadn’t seen him. I was upstairs, and was in tears. I kept calling his name and wishing I knew where his was. I passed my mother in the hallway. At this point, she was also in tears. She was holding Nick, who was completely oblivious to everything that was going on. I looked out my window and all at once, six state police cars flew up my driveway. Not only was this a serious matter, but my father has been a faithful member, and captain of the New City Fire Department. As the minutes passed, more police continued to come.
Reality set in as I realized that I might never see my little brother ever again. I found myself in the woods, dripping with sweat and covered in tears. I did not know where to look, but I knew that he liked to take hikes in the woods around the house. I pleaded with God, told him that I would do anything to have Ari back. Then, I lost it. I dropped to my knees, almost in a state of shock, and just cried. Then I heard the sound of voices, and not only were they talking, but they were laughing. I wondered, who in their right mind could laugh at a time like this. I got up and the group saw me. “They found him”, one of the men said. Again I fell to my knees and cried.
I got up and began the long walk back to the house. I went around the house to the front yard and found my Mom, Dad, Ari, and Nicholas all there. Ari was astonished to see the nearly 15 police cars, and a paramedic’s truck, in our driveway. Not to mention the helicopter that just went off the ground, and was called off when the missing boy had been found. I walked up the other half of the driveway. Seeing his face was one of the best sights I had ever experienced. I walked up to him, still partially in shock, and hugged him. Not a hug that only said I love you, but a hug that said, thank you. Obviously, my first question to my mom, who was completely out of it, was, “Where was he?” The house was thoroughly checked, or so we thought. He had been playing with an airplane with his head rested on a brown leather ottoman and was between the ottoman and a chair when he fell asleep. Ari’s hair is brown, and it just happened to be that his clothes fit perfectly with the old hardwood floor and red suede chair. To think that it had all happened in less than twenty minutes was mind boggling.