Thursday, November 7, 2013

Baby on Board

So, this happened a few weeks ago but I’ve been busy.  And I need to share…

I was in a rickshaw on my way to work when we pulled to a stop at an intersection.  A few feet to my left, sitting on the curb were a few women, a few babies, and several cows.  People (and cows) are always at this corner, so I typically smile and head-bobble.  This morning, however, after my smile, I received a visitor at the rickshaw.  A woman walked up, showed me her two month old baby, and handed her to me.  Let me at this moment remind you I am in a temporarily stopped vehicle.  So, I take the baby, smile, kiss her forehead, and try to give her back, but her mom walks away.  That’s when my oblivious-to-the-situation driver (or driver-who-was-trying-to-alarm-the-white-girl) drives off.  We take a left at the intersection as I’m screaming “BUS BUS BUS BUS BUS BUS!!!” (STOP!) Thankfully we hadn’t gone more and a few yards before we stopped, he laughed, I got out, identified the baby’s mother, and gave her back.  This whole ordeal didn’t last for more than 30 seconds, maybe less, but I really thought for a moment there I was going to unwillingly adopt an infant.  Thankfully that was not the final outcome J