I’m not a very brave person and being brave also means taking risks and I’m not a risk-taker. However, I have learned that sometimes you have no choice and being brave is not up to you but about the circumstances you are in.
I live in a village that goes to sleep at around 7:30 in the evenings! The streets are empty and so are the roads. When my son was in his teens and just starting to spread his wings, I found out that that bravery would be called into play many times.
I recall he was going to a party in the next village. He was going to walk and it would take him about 20 minutes to get there. It was ok in the daytime but at night a game changer. I was nervous about him getting home late at night so I offered to pick him up when he was done and ready to come home.
It was getting late approaching midnight when he wrote, “Mom, please pick me up at around 2.”
“Where?”
“Gas station”
I wasn’t happy but I had promised and I’m a promise keeper. At 1:30 in the morning, I got into my car. There was no traffic on the road as I made my way there. I was freaked out but took deep breaths as I pulled in at the gas station. It was deserted as with everything else at that time of morning. I parked and waited.
At a quarter past two, I heard voices. Then I saw two figures in the distance heading in my direction, they were talking and cutting up. One of them was my son. He saw the car as he got closer and I could see relief cross his face. His friend lived in that village so he was just a stone’s throw away from home and didn’t need help getting home.
My son got in and the first thing he said was, “Mom, I’m hungry! Let’s get Burger King!” We drove to the all-night Burger King place, which was deserted as well, and got him what he wanted. It was quiet in the car as we drove home and occasionally the silence would be broken by his chatter. He was happy and feeling safe. Mom had come to the rescue and it wouldn’t be the last time either! It was the beginning that would test my bravery many times over!
In the dead of night and when the world around me was asleep, I chose unwillingly to show just how brave I was!
