This “Hot Wheels” scooter looks as though it was just ridden by a little boy who barely took the time to return it to its proper place in his garage before bounding up the stairs to enjoy a snack.  Meanwhile, the scooter waits patiently for the boy to return and ride again.

However, this red and yellow scooter will have to wait forever.  The boy will never return.

This is Judson’s scooter.

I’ve probably passed by this scooter, with its hardly-scratched metal frame and barely-scuffed wheels, thousands of times in the last several months, but it was as though I heard it crying when I passed by this afternoon.  Upon noticing it lying there on the cold cement floor, I couldn’t help but whimper too.

I remember the day when Judson received the shiny new scooter from his grandparents; he was not yet two, and though he tried with gusto to master his driving skills on this new “vehicle,” we all knew he would need to grow into it.

Though Jud played with the scooter many subsequent times, he never really got to grow into it…

The scooter is still waiting.

When will I have to tell the scooter that the boy isn’t coming back?