Lost All Reason

(I have taken my daughter to Chicago for her sixth birthday and we visit my sister and her husband. The running joke all weekend with my brother-in-law is about the time he lost his nephew at an amusement park when he was younger. My brother-in-law also is notorious for not having patience with children. I was in a store shopping with my sister when I received a call from my daughter. Of course, my sister only heard my end of the conversation.)

Me: “Hello.”

Daughter: “[Uncle] is lost.’

Me: *slightly panicked* “What do you mean, [Uncle] is lost?”

Daughter: “[Uncle]’s lost. You need to come get us.”

Me: “Are you WITH [Uncle]?”

(By now my sister is starting to panic too.)

Daughter: “Yes, but he’s lost!”

Me: “I don’t think [Uncle] is lost. He leads tours of the city. As long as you’re with [Uncle], you guys aren’t lost.”

Daughter: “Yes, he is. He won’t get a cab! We’re lost. You need to come get us!”

Me: “You don’t need to get a cab. [Uncle] isn’t lost. You two are fine. Just make sure you STAY WITH [Uncle].”

(When my sister and I got back to their place, my brother-in-law told us that no, they were never lost. She wanted to take a cab back to the condo but he was trying to take the elevated train back. She refused to take the train and only would take a cab. He had argued with her for a bit before finally giving her his phone, saying, ‘go ahead – call your mom but we’re still NOT TAKING A CAB!’)