I have no children, my sisters have no children and my friends have no children. Unfortunately, my contact with children is very limited.
A faculty colleague celebrated her birthday at home, where I was one of the guests. Upon arrival I received a long table dressed for dinner. Seated around her were fellow faculty, friends and relatives of the birthday boy.
But the birthday was not going to be one of the bunch. Something caught my attention, a detail that had no expectation or notion, a detail that was not part of my daily departures: A little girl, a little girl who would be part of our meeting.
Juliet was a beautiful girl of only 5 who never left their crayons and white sheets. He had a white dress and shoes that matched, but were scattered on the living, because she preferred the comfort of feeling where I was standing. His loops also spoke of her and not left to tie the white ribbon embroidery, which also to play with all her clothes. Juliet was the daughter of one of the guests, but had little notion that, as it quickly became the center of our universe.
greet all those present, and when I approached to greet her, I paid attention and the pussycat. I was so afraid of another rejection that I did not insist and sat at the table. ;
I felt bad because it looked like everyone could interact with it so easily and I do not. Looked like she responded to their calls and their games and not with me. Would it be because I had no experience with children or just because it was unable to interact with them?
The dinner began, the night went on and the birthday took flight. The food was delicious, and the talks did not stay behind. Gradually we move on to dessert and coffee. Hours had passed since that eventful meeting with the girl, until someone asked me: "And you like your name? Turning his head I noticed that Juliet was sitting next to me at some point and had not noticed. "My name is Luis" he said, and she responded with a beautiful question: "How do you spell your name?".
I took one of his color crayons and wrote on the white sheet: "LUIS." As soon as I do, almost like a flash, grabbed the blade and ran. I felt that it was my opportunity to go to her and had not done enough.
I continued with my coffee and my lectures, when suddenly, someone says, "I learned to write your name." In that white sheet read several "LUIS" indicating that he distanced himself from me to practice my name. From that moment stayed with me to teach him to write the other names of those present.
At some point her mother came to find out who was his little girl and we told both of our business. The mother was surprised and decided to make a little game for her daughter to look to what was learned. The game was that the small should be invited to guess the name of the mother would point his finger. Julieta
could not look really, it was a lot of information at once to a girl as the sun 5. But if there was someone with whom she could show off, it was me and my name.
After some errors of Juliet, the mother points her finger at me. I could not fail, she knew my name, she had asked me, I had taught, she had practiced and had spent hours playing together. But Juliet was wrong, it said: "Luis", said: "Dad."
mother corrected immediately clarify that I was not "Dad" but "Luis", and obviously the game ended. Nobody ever told me Dad.
Then the mother came, and with much shame, I apologized for what happened. Obviously I said no to failure and that I had been a very sweet gesture.
I did not know the mother or the child until that day, so I do not know if the father was or role was, but is not that much.
After the "misunderstanding", I was a bit more on the birthday until he decided to retire. I started waving to the adults, but did not take long for Julie to understand that I was going.
How to explain a scene in which a 5 year old comes crying to hug for you not to go?
I could not go, I just could not. Wait a few seconds until the mom looking at me, knowingly, says: "Do not cry Juliet, which he returns. Goes back to the kiosk and Luis is not it? ". Never a simple white lie cost me much.
As we walked down the elevator, my friend Julie was surprised that I had not given him a drawing after so emotional farewell. And he was right, Julie gave me no no drawing, but gave me something else, something original and never forget, gave me a "Dad." Julieta
gave me the power to feel Father, however, which takes a misunderstanding.
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