The Little Girl in the Elevator
By Susan Knight | Reflecting on a simple but memorable encounter.
Written by Susan Knight | Seeking Veritas Columnist | Sankarsingh-Gonsalves Productions
I’m alone in the elevator when a charming little girl, about six or seven years old and cute as a button, comes on. Despite there being room, she surprises me by standing right beside me; any closer and she would be pressing against my arm. In my mind, I’m thinking she seems so young to be going somewhere alone.
Not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable, I try to balance looking pleasant with looking away slightly, so it doesn’t appear as if I’m unnecessarily focusing my attention on her directly. I needn’t be concerned. Clearly she feels quite comfortable with me, comfortable enough to ask, “Do you know if anyone is at the park?” By “the park”, I assumed she was referring to the playground right outside our building where a group of children like to congregate after school in the summertime. I found the question amusing. I mean, we're in the same position, standing side by side as we are in the elevator. It’s not like I had secret intel on what was happening in the park and who was there. I had as much — or in this case, as little — information as she did. I reply that I don’t know if anyone is at the park.
Before we reach the ground floor, the elevator stops. The doors open and an older girl comes on holding a small but lively dog in her arms. The little girl lights up. “He’s so cute!” she squeals, bouncing up and down. “What’s his name?” she asks. “Taco,” the older girl replies. The little girl eagerly tries to pet the dog. She alternates between extending her hand to touch his head, and then quickly drawing her hand back as the dog turns his head towards her and tries to nudge her hand with his nose. She can barely contain her joy and excitement as she keeps reaching out her hand, aiming for the dog’s head while trying to dodge his nose. She looks like she’s going to burst.
We reach the ground floor and the elevator doors open. We all say good-bye to one another and go our separate ways.
Weeks later, I can’t help but smile when I remember the little girl’s inquiry about the park, and her exuberant joy and excitement over Taco. And I can’t help but wonder if anyone was at the park when she got there so she had someone to play with. I hope so.
About the author: Susan is a writer, certified health and wellness coach, and author of Living Well: Self-Discovery, Connection and Growth
Susan Knight | SGP Featured Writer | Contact the author: @ http://skfreelance.com
