After drop-off, my son’s teacher asked, “Why is your son absent today?”

After I dropped my kid off at school his teacher cornered me and asked, “Why is your son absent today?” “No he’s not i just watched him walk inside.”

Mrs. Stevenson’s face went pale. “Well he didn’t make it to my classroom.” She looked at her attendance records. “In fact, Theo hasn’t made it to my classroom at all for the past 3 weeks.”

My stomach dropped. “That’s impossible,” I stammered out. “I’ve been dropping him off every morning and staying until I personally see him go in.”

Mrs. Stevenson hesitated then picked up her classroom phone. “I think you need to speak with Principal Miles right now.”

We walked through the hallway in silence while other teachers kept glancing at us then looking away quickly. The principal’s secretary was already crying when we arrived like she knew something. Principal Miles had security footage pulled up on his computer. “Come look at this.”

The screen showed the front entrance. There was Theo scanning his ID badge at 7:46 a.m. walking toward the classroom with his dinosaur backpack. The timestamp read October 24th, this morning. “Mr. Davis, watch what happens next.”

The camera angle switched to the main hallway. I could see Theo in the morning crowd of kids. He walked toward his classroom hallway then suddenly veered left toward the gym.

The timestamp showed 7:48 a.m. Another camera angle showed the gym hallway. Theo pushed through the emergency exit door.

A man in a hard hat and construction vest was waiting. Theo climbed into a white pickup truck and they drove away. The timestamp was 7:49 a.m. “That’s been happening every morning for 3 weeks,” Miles’s voice was shaking. “We presumed this was authorized.”

The man said he was Theo’s uncle picking him up for family medical appointments. He showed a folder with dozens of permission slips with my forged signature. “I’ve been trying to call you but the number on file was disconnected.”

That’s when Mrs. Stevenson interrupted. “Mr. Davis, there’s something else. CPS is coming to your house today at 11:00 a.m.” “They received a report about educational neglect. If Theo isn’t there, if we can’t prove where he’s been, you could lose custody.”

My hands were shaking as I pulled out Theo’s phone from my pocket which he’d forgotten in the car. The screen lit up with notifications showing 47 unread messages all from Uncle Mike. My blood went cold because Uncle Mike was Theo’s stepdad’s uncle.

I opened the messages. “Don’t tell your dad. You know what happens if you tell.” The last message sent this morning at 7:30 a.m. said, “If you don’t come today you’ll never see your mom again.”

I called my ex-wife immediately but it went to voicemail. I called Derek, the stepdad, but there was no answer. It was already 9:15 a.m., leaving less than 2 hours until CPS arrived.

Where would he have taken Theo? I drove to Derek’s apartment first, but the landlord told me he’d left early this morning. I drove to my ex-wife’s workplace next and her boss said she hadn’t been in all week.

It all seemed super shady and that’s when it hit me: Uncle Mike. I didn’t know where he lived but I knew he owned a construction company. I’d be able to confront Mike there.

I drove to his main office and burst through the door. “Where’s your crew working today?”

The secretary looked scared. “Highway 40, the overpass project.”

I didn’t even hesitate, just jumped in my car and started going 90 on the highway. After 35 minutes I finally saw the construction site with concrete mixers, bulldozers, and the sound of machinery. I parked and ran through the gates scanning every face and every corner looking for Mike so I could ask him what the hell was going on.

That’s when I saw him: Theo, my 11-year-old son. He was carrying a bag of cement on his small shoulders. His dinosaur backpack was thrown in the dirt.

I saw angry red marks on his shoulders. Even worse, there were 5-hour energy drinks in his pocket, the kind that says not for children on the label. But why was Mike making my son work at a construction site? “Theo!” I called out.

He turned and saw me and his face went white. He dropped the cement bag. “Dad, what are you doing here?” “I’m here to collect you buddy.” I walked over to him.

That’s when he said something that made my stomach turn. “But I can’t leave Dad. Derek told me you’ll be mad at me unless I work.”

I was still trying to piece it all together when I heard car doors slam shut. My ex-wife’s Honda and Derek’s truck arrived. They walked over together and my ex-wife was already defensive. “Theo has another 3 hours left on his shift,” she said.

“Three hours of what?” I asked, grabbing Theo and pulling him behind me. “His shift at the construction site where you’ve been keeping him hostage!” I yelled.

My ex-wife crossed her arms. “He’s learning real skills. He’s making us 1,800 a week.” “Theo’s been earning money for his own family instead of wasting time on fractions.”

My jaw dropped. “You knew?” “Of course I knew, it was my idea,” she responded.