A little girl’s magic wand lifts spirits on a rainy day
by Seth Berg
I love rainy days.
I have that luxury because I work from home, and don’t have to deal with Los Angeles drivers, who, after 29 years of living here, still baffle me with their inability to maneuver through precipitation.
After I dropped my daughter at school, I decided I would have breakfast at one of my favorite places, Ocean Diner. It’s a modern take on a greasy spoon from the ‘40s, with WWII newspapers hanging on the walls, reporting the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the death of President Roosevelt.
The food is great.
I got a prime parking spot right in front of the restaurant, and an even better seat at the counter. An older man was to my left, and a couple of younger guys who looked like they had just come from the gym, were to my right.
At the table in back of me were two Redondo Beach police officers. All in all, there were six adult males, seemingly from all walks of life.
Oh, and at a table by the window, was a mother and her 16-month-old daughter.
The sky got darker and the rain really started to come down.
The little girl was eating Cheerios with one hand, and in the other, she held a little princess wand, with a grip like a major league slugger looking to break the home run record.
She was flirting and smiling at all of us.
The policemen became softies, waving, and saying “hello” in a way that only another parent would speak.
All of us were smitten with this beautiful little baby.
Except for the older man sitting next to me. He wasn’t engaged at all, he seemed like he was in a bad mood. Weather can do that for people who are used to sunshine.
Breakfast was served, and coffee was poured, and it was time for the mother and baby to leave. The little girl was pulled out of her high chair. She still had a grip on that wand.
She walked around the restaurant, tapping each of us with her little toy. She tapped the policemen on their hands.
They thanked her.
She tapped me on the leg.
I said, “Wow”.
Off to the younger guys to tap each of them. They smiled and said, “Thank you”.
Then, she walked up to the grumpy old man. She tapped him on the leg with that magic wand.
He smiled.
To the little girl with the magic wand, who walked around Ocean Diner on that cold rainy morning. You made a dreary day a little brighter.
Life in the South Bay. ER
