When it was time to leave and we had to go back down? Well, that was a different story.
Adam is usually with us in times of escalator adventures so I guess I've never realized what a difference that makes. When there are four kids and one of you, it can become a little tricky on that downslope of doom.
Our nine year old hopped on just fine and down he went. Our four year old needed me to pick her up to place her on the moving steps (that seemed to be going strangely fast). She was doing fine so I got on to follow behind. Turning back to our eight and five year old boys who were still at the top, I waved for them to follow.
"Mommy?" Our five year old muttered as he tapped his foot on the rolling stairs.
"Come on Buddy! Just step out and stand on one. Grab the rail. Ethan, help your little brother and take his hand."
I was getting close to being half way down so I started to try to walk back up to get him.
Lauren, who was now almost to the bottom yelled, "Mommy, No! Stay with me!"
I was stuck between riding down with her or going up to him.
Preston's eyes widened, "MOMMY! HELP! I'm SCARED!" He stood above with a paralyzed lock.
Starting to run up, I turned back to our oldest son Christian who was already standing at the bottom. "Get your sister, I have to help him!"
This is where I guess I should mention that I was wearing a long sundress...and flip flops.
Running up a flight of stairs as they go against you is hard enough on a good day, but when your shoe gets stuck in your dress and there's nowhere to go but down...you can imagine what happened next.
I don't know if it was the kids yelling, me running up the stairs like a deranged chicken or maybe when I finally bit the dust, but people were staring at us with complete bewilderment. It was almost enough to mask the throbbing pain...almost.
Gliding down the stairs like a magic carpet ride, I prepared myself for the bottom. Blood spilled from my right foot and left knee. Christian and Lauren stood waiting at the bottom with dropped jaws. Ethan and Preston had jumped on when they saw me fall so they were almost down too. All that - and he got on just fine. Outstanding.
"MOMMY, you're BLEEDING!"
As if we didn't already have the attention of every last person in the bookstore, now people were rubbernecking around the aisles to witness the aftermath.
Hopping out of the store on bloody foot, we restored the peace and quiet to the coffee sipping people with their harmonious page turning.
It will probably be quite sometime before we go back to the bookstore again...at least to the second floor.
One thing's for sure though. You can guarantee that I'll be the one in tennis shoes when we do.
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