A Tale of Two Scaleys

This is Scaley.
He was purchased as a gift for Carson while on a "mommy and me" trip to California with my little girl, Amanda.  She found him while browsing the souvenir shop at the Long Beach Airport. Carson has a love for sea turtles so Scaley was the perfect thing to bring a smile to his face.

We had no idea just how important Scaley would be to Carson.  Scaley became Carson's constant companion.  They went everywhere together.  Whether he was  in school, scouts, speech therapy, math tutoring, or just playing, Scaley was there.

One day the unthinkable happened and Scaley was lost.

We looked everywhere for him but had no luck.

Carson was crushed.

A few days later, Carson asked if he could go on a mommy and me trip to Long Beach.  I told him that I would start looking for airfare deals and we would plan a weekend away.  (I had forgotten about Scaley by then, but Carson had not.)  It wasn't until we touched down that I realized the whole purpose of this trip.  It was to replace his beloved Scaley.  Our first stop was the souvenir shop where the shelf where the turtles had been now had dolphins displayed.  This was the beginning of a weekend of disappointment for my little guy.

We ended up going to the Long Beach Aquarium in hopes we would find a new Scaley.  No luck again.  We purchased a "second best" turtle and decided to spend the weekend looking for a Scaley.  For the entire weekend, we looked for the little stuffed turtle in every shop we frequented.

We ended up back in the airport at the end of the weekend and still had no Scaley.  Carson was so disappointed and my heart went out to him.  We decided to check the souvenir shop one last time.  Still no Scaleys on the shelf.

A very sweet employee named Laura, commented on the "second best" turtle that Carson had in his hands.  We told her of our plight and how important the little sea turtle was to Carson.  She knew exactly what stuffed toy we were talking about and said that she knew there were some in the warehouse.  She was clearly short handed and very busy.  There was no way at that time she could leave the shop.  She asked for our flight information and said she would try and get one to us at our gate.  Her kindness and willingness to go the extra mile for my sweet son isn't something you see very often.

We got through security, found our gate, and waited for our invitation to get on the plane.  Soon, the announcement was made for us to begin boarding.  Carson was visibly disappointed that we were not successful in finding a replacement Scaley.  The line to the plane was long so we decided to just sit and wait for people to get in their seats.  Just as I thought we were going to have to give up and board, I see Laura...She is running through security, straight to our gate.  She had a bag with her that had not one, but two, Scaleys for Carson to choose from.  Tears filled my eyes as I thanked her for her kindness.  She really made an impact in a little boy's life.  I don't think she knows how much that meant to me, and to my sweet boy.  I don't think I've ever seen Carson so happy!  Carson picked the perfect Scaley, we made our purchase, and a very happy child (and mom) boarded the plane.  The kindness of one person will never be forgotten.

Carson and Scaley are once again, a team.  They go everywhere together and Carson is happy.
Thank you Laura for just being you!
You deserve a raise...