Soapbox

In which I am Allowed to Borrow a Tiny Kathleen for a Few minutes.

    "Ask the girl" she said pointing to me, and I knew I liked her right away. (Well, it's been a long time since anyone called me a girl) She was about 2 1/2, with dark riotous curls, brown eyes and wearing a tiny replica of Belle's dress with a red t-shirt under it and purple sneakers.
    "We're looking for sticks for princess wands" she said before her mother could speak up. I was supposed to be taking my lunch break but I led them to the right area and while her mother debated, she showed me the goodies they already had in their basket: ribbons, pom-poms, stick-on gems and lots and lots of glitter.
    "Goodness, are you having a birthday party?" I asked.
    "No, it's for a craft day. Don't you ever have craft days?"
    "When you work here" I said solemnly "You have craft day every day" Her eyes sparkled, no doubt imagining all-night glitter sessions.

    I offered to show her mother something else I thought might be fun to use on their wands in another sections. Her mother said "Can you play follow the leader?" and gestured to me. I figured this was probably how they did things in pre-school, and on a whim I  held my arms out like an air plane, tipping one up and the other down and called "Follow the leader!". I heard her giggle.
     "Follow me!" I called again after an aisle or two, and started hopping.
     "We're kangaroos!!!" she shouted behind me, breathless.
     "We are the best kangaroos in the whole store!" I agreed and waved at a passing teenager (who seemed pretty sure that I was insane).

I showed her mother what I'd had in mind, and while she looked at them, knelt down.     
     "Did I hear your mommy call you Kathleen?" I asked, and she nodded. "I once had a tiny Kathleen just like you" I said "And she was my very own little girl to play with."
    "But what happened to her?"
I put my hand on the top of her head, and then lifted it up higher and higher until it was over my head. "She grew. She grew and gre and grew!!!"
    "I'm growing too!" she assured me.
     "I can tell. You may be taller already then when I met you. You'd better stop growing before your head hits the ceiling!" I was rewarded with a giggle.
    Sadly, her mother was now finished choosing her items and I had no excuse not to go have my lunch. I waved, said "Thanks for playing with me!" and walked away, filled with wonderful memories of my own tiny Kathleen and glad that sometimes, if I ask nicely,  she still is willing to play with me.