With all the walking we do, Kai is becoming a minor celebrity here in East Arlington. Some highlights of our encounters:
A woman pushing her child in a stroller comes up to us and says "hey, we see each other everywhere!" As far as I can recall, I've never seen this woman before in my life. We chat for a few minutes about our kids and then I explain to her that Kai and I have just returned from a 5-mile walk through Winchester and Medford, which is just part of the 10-15 miles we walk daily. She looks at me a bit askew and no doubt realizes that a lot of people must see me everywhere. But hey, she was really nice and I enjoyed our brief conversation.
An 80+ year old man walking down Mass Ave asks me how old Kai is. He then proceeds to tell me that he has four kids: 58, 57, 56, and 54 years old. "There was a brief time when all four of them were in diapers. Tough, but worth every minute."
A stooped-over nonagenarian woman grabs my arm as I walk by her on the sidewalk.
"What's his name?"
"Kai"
"Hi Kyle"
"No, it's Kai."
"What?"
"Kai. K. A. I."
"Oh. (long pause) Where are your people from?"
Now, I'm not usually asked this question by random people on the street, so my answer comes out a bit disjointed. "Well, ummm....my people are from Germany...and uh....France. And Ireland. And Sweden?" (I don't know why that one comes out as a question - perhaps I have secret doubts about the Swedes that I'm not aware of). I haven't even started on all the places that Lauren's 'people' are from and I surmise from her blank expression that she was just curious about the name. Several seconds pass as she continues the blank stare.
"My people are from Sicily. (another long pause) I have something for you. Hold on."
She walks over to the front steps of what I presume to be her apartment and reaches into a large plastic bag. Uh-oh. I'm scared. She's a religious nut and wants to help me find Jesus. No, she's just plain crazy and is going to hand me an old sock or perhaps a moldy onion. Wait, did she say Sicily? Images of Tony Soprano's mother flash through my mind. If she pulls out a revolver, are my reflexes fast enough to take this old crone out before she guns us down?
Whew. It's just a pamphlet. Back to theory #1 - fundamentalist fanatic. No, wait - it's a guide to immunizations put out by the Mass Dept. of Public Health. I thank her profusely (I was so relieved not to be the victim of random gun violence) and then Kai and I are on our way. No idea why this woman had a DPH pamphlet from 2004 sitting in a bag on her front stoop, but I suppose it was sweet of her to share.
We've had many more encounters with random strangers, usually briefer than the one with DPH pamphlet lady. Just today a woman stopped at a light shouted out of her car window "hey, you're like twins!" Ummm....okay. Sharing 50% of your genes with someone does tend to make you look alike. But she did put a smile on my face.
It seems that the two most common comments from strangers (as well as family & friends) about Kai are that a) he looks just like me and b) he's gorgeous.
I'm trying really hard not to draw the obvious conclusion and thereby over-inflate my ego.
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4 comments:
LOL. It's true, Kai *and* Bob have become minor Arlington celebrities. Everywhere I go, work, friends, local businesses, people say, 'hey! i saw your husband walking with your son the other day!' I'm told this several times a week, and often by people whom I had no idea could recognize Bob and Kai as my family members.
ROTFLOL. I have this image now of you clicking your heels as you start off on your walk singing, "It's a beautiful day in my neighborhood!"
Bob, I hope you've invested in some good walking shoes! I think you can write that off as a stay-at-home-dad business expense.
"Where are your people from?" My favorite. Definitely. :) -Jo
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