May 2005

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There is an escape artist living in my building. I met him this afternoon, as I was walking back from the recycling bins. Good thing my hands were relatively empty at the time.

He's not quite knee high on me. And he's just learned how to walk. I was crossing the parking lot, heading toward the sidewalk that runs in front of our building. He was just leaving that sidewalk heading toward whatever adventure his newly-walking feet would take him to. His mother was about two feet behind him. She was attempting to catch him while his father held his older sister.

I caught him instead. He paused to look up at my knees, and I spoke to him. I told him he should turn around. I suspect that same line would work as well spoken to a meteorite. When it became obvious that he was going to continue toward the parking lot, I decided picking him up to hand him over to his mother was in order. So I did just that.

As I handed him over, I told his mother that I didn't ordinarily pick up children without parental permission, but I decided he was safer this way. She smiled, nodded, thanked me, and took him in her arms. The family went back toward their apartment, and I came to mine.

About an hour later, I heard a small noise, and a voice, near my door. I looked out the window to see if I were getting unexpected visitors, and saw the little escape artist again. This time, his father was in the process of picking him up. Apparently, they had taken a walk from their end of the building's porch to mine, but from the sound of it, the little one did not want to go back home just yet.

The cry he uttered as his father picked him up was unmistakable. He wasn't in pain. He was very annoyed that his exploration had been interrupted. I don't think it will be much longer before he learns the English for that: "No!"

At the moment, his parents have two things in their favor. Our doors are equipped with two locks, both of which are out of reach of the little escape artist who seriously wants to go exploring the world on his own feet. Those should keep him in for a while yet.

This will be fun to watch.