And the Oscar goes to...

Nice things happen when you're caught in the rain without an umbrella...as I just found out. I am currently on a break from work, but I came into office today because I had some stuff to wrap up and..okay, there's no getting away from it, I was missing my swivelling chair a little bit.

Anyway, today being Friday - the day social life opens up like a Venus flytrap, I had gone to the bank to withdraw money. That's when the rains came down swift and hard and I got stranded under the canopy of a shoe-shop near the bank. There were several others stranded there. Many of them were from office who, like me, thought carrying raingear was not really important- office being so close and all. We'd just dash off, get work done, and dash back. As it turns out, slippery tiles and rain that falls like tap water is not so good for dashing.

As I contemplated my many options of either staying put and dry or dashing and getting wet and injured, someone tugged my hair from behind. I turned to look into moon-puddle eyes of a plump, little baby girl. She was dressed in Kermit-hide colored rompers and a white ribbed polo-neck (which was kinda yuppie stylish). Her cheeks puffed out like little clouds and her
pointed little chin glistened with baby dribble. She was being carried by a rather tired elderly gentleman, who I think was the grandfather. Oh! and the adorable part - she was wearing anklets with froggie charms....on top of green polka-dot boots.

Since my attention was sought by someone this cute, I decided to wipe that frown off my face and smile sweetly. I also offered my finger to be gently pulled. But it turns out, baby would not tug at anything that wasn't hair (or hairy - but I don't know that for sure.)

So she pulled my hair again and did a little jump in her grandfather's arm. He, without a second thought, handed her over to me, "She wants you to hold her." And before I could gush over how privileged I felt (my Oscar moment, I tell you), he had gone somewhere else to sit.

Now here she was in my arms - an animate soft, warm, cuddly pillow. But what came as a surprise was that for someone so little, she sure was capable of a lot of movement.
She squiggled like jelly that has just been jiggled as I tried to accomodate her. But I think my arms were uncomfortable so she tried to climb onto my shoulder. I didn't mind that except that the green boots were rather hard. But then, sometimes you just have to grin and bear it. And then, just as suddenly, the baby fell asleep. She first squirmed a little bit and rubbed
her little button nose on my shoulder, yawned a small, toothless yawn, and fell asleep.

I cradled her as the rain fell, as the rain abated, and until the rain stopped. Her grandfather came and collected her like a Christmas parcel and was on his way...just as I turned to go back to my office. 'Gzzsngt' or some other vowelless gurgle made me turn back.

She'd woken up and was rubbing her eyes with pink podgy hands. She looked at me and smiled and stretched out one of her hands. She wanted to tug my hair. Of course, I graciously complied. Can't possibly turn down an award, can I?