An Excellent Day

"Well, we have two hours. Where would you like to go?"

Their mother and grandmother were at a ladies Christmas tea, and so grandpa got to collect the three and bear them off. He was very happy when they called out, "We want to go the the AIR MUSEUM!!" 

The air museum is a wonderful place to take children. They walked around the exhibits and asked Grandpa a great many questions. At the end, they found their favorite place of all - the Gift Shop. Grandpa had said they might each choose one thing to purchase and take home. There were toy airplanes, helicopters and gliders everywhere, and the boys headed toward a selection of these. But the small girl chose instantly the Stewardess with the roller bag. 

She was so excited. Planes were one thing (and she loved planes, make no mistake), but there was something about the tall and stately lady with the blue suit and high heels, not to mention that cool roller bag. It was all very appealing. The high heels weren't just your normal everyday high heels. They were boot heels. Oh yes, they were enviable ankle boots, fitting snugly on the Barbie-like doll feet in quite a fetching way.

The small girl loves boots and owns a favored pair, in pink. 

But the Stewardess boots were black. And gorgeous. And, apparently, made of leather. 

The rest of the day was spent first at Jack-in-the-Box, eating with her brothers and her grandpa. Next, they went to Grandpa's house just down the road, to do play doh and model airplane building. Next, Mommy and Grandma came back (it was about time) and saw the wonderful planes and stewardess the children had picked out. Many other things were done and discussed, and something was spilled and something else was broken; but everything at last was swept clean and repaired, and then it was time to go pick out a Christmas tree for Grandma and Grandpa.

There were many to choose from, and each one seemed better than the one before. When the choice had at last been made, Grandpa pushed the children around the parking lot in a hand cart. Which was amazing. And fun. Around and around they went, looking at all sorts of interesting piles of wood, and leftover pallets that seemed to have been forgotten at the back. And just when it was time to get off the cart and into the van, someone discovered a small black leather boot, lying in the parking lot.

Her stewardess was missing a boot! In fact, it was discovered, she was missing BOTH BOOTS! Oh no. Oh dear! What to do?

A tear might have welled up, but Grandpa comfortingly said he would go and look for the boot. None of the grownups held out much hope that it would be found. It would be impossible for it to be found. The parking lot was perfectly HUGE, after all.

And so, the van backed out, and eased toward the exit. Right then, Grandpa was glancing around the Christmas tree section in a last ditch effort. Imagine his surprise when, just there in the debris from a hundred Christmas trees, he spied a tiny, black, leather, Barbie-sized boot. 

Grandpa grabbed it up and RAN. He ran toward the exit, where the van sat waiting for the light to change. He opened the door. He handed in the small thing that meant so much. There wasn't any time to talk about it, but a small disaster had been averted.  A boot had been found. And one wee girl (whose eyes lit up) knew that her grandpa had searched, and discovered, and run back to the van - just for her.

It was the sweetest thing.


See you along the way!
the SconeLady