The Bulletin Board

Based off a true event that happened couple years back that I can never forget. This little boy is the most inspiration I have ever met.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

I glanced around at the multiple items in the checkout lane as the cashier rung up each one with the utmost delicacy. Lighters. Ponytails. Candy bars. The usual stuff.

“Mommy?” The little boy asked. “Are a’ t’ose keeds míssin’?”

I glanced over in the direction of the bathroom. A mother with two children in the cart stood in between the two doors, next to a bulletin board covered in black and white images. The oldest child, a girl, looked around much like I had been. The youngest, a two-year-old boy, stared intently at the board.

The mother looked up from her checkbook.

“Yes.” She responded.

“Do t’eir mommies miss t’em?” He asked. It appeared the question was more directed towards himself then his mother.

“Very much.” She responded.

 “Mommy would miss me, right Mommy?” The Little girl asked. Her mother smiled and nodded.

  “Of course.”

The little boy kept his eyes on the bulletin board. A man, who I would assume was their father, appeared from the men’s restroom and they proceeded to leave the store. As they walked past me, I noticed the little boy never stopped looking at the board even as they left.  His eyes were locked on the flyers of children as if they were long lost friends and if he didn't memorize their faces now, he will never see them again

“Alright, grab your bags, girls,” my father said as he finished paying for our stuff. I glanced at the four bags sitting next to me.

I grabbed one back and walked over to the board. There were twenty children between the ages of four and eleven plastered tightly on it. They were children of every race, every hair color, every eye color, and every culture.  Many were missing for years.

“It’s sad, isn’t it?” Dad asked when he noticed I was no longer following him. I nodded.

“It sure is,” I said. Turning back towards my dad and sister, I proceeded out of the store.

I never forgot that little boy or how he noticed something hundreds of people pass without giving it a single glance.