Little People

I just came back from a housewarming party at one of the most beautiful houses I've been to.

Balinese styled jacuzzi next to a fully equipped entertainment area, great food and company, what better way to spend a Saturday evening....i am digressing, let's get back to the subject matter....

Little people are a funny lot. They can hate you one minute and be your best friend the next...that was what i experienced with my good friend's daughter for the last few months.

Lets call her C. C isn't a typical child. She is loud, abrasive and hyperactive one minute, quiet and reserved the next. As much as I tried all the child pleasing techniques with her, some of my efforts have ended up disastrous. Take for example 4 months ago when C made an appearance at my office, being the "cool" uncle I thought I was, I picked up a cushion shaped after Doraemon and placed it over my head, hoping to delight her with a cartoon character whom I thought she would find cute.

Boy I've never been so wrong in my life! She screamed at a child's highest ever octave possible and ran with lightning speed towards her mummy, tears streaming down her tensed up cheeks.

Ultimate fail.

Thereafter, every time I was invited to a function where both of us would be in the same room, she would automatically develop X-ray vision whenever she saw me, looking through me as though I was a fat sheet of air. I have been kindly advised by the parents to do the same to her, so as not to make her too nervous that she can't enjoy the company of other people around her. I accepted that and thought this was what it was gonna be like for the rest of our lives.

Yet tonight, there was a breakthrough. She did her X-ray thing when I first appeared, but she seemed a tad more comfortable around me. I could sense that and decided maybe it was time to mend our burnt bridges. Through my observation, I could see she was inching closer and closer to me and was trying to make conversation. I took my chances and said "Hi" to her once, thinking if she ran off after that then I would stop trying. She didn't. Instead, she passed me a slab of Play Doh. I asked her what would she like me to make out of that. She said "Make me a pizza."

Geez, I've never felt so nervous, not even comparable to when I have to do a job interview. I gathered all my creative juices and tried to make the best looking pizza ever.

2 minutes later, I presented her my work.

C : "Very nice Uncle Martyn, I like it very much. Let me show Mummy!"

Me : "So, C, can Uncle Martyn come over for a swim some other day? I really like your pool!"

C : " Sure! Come!"

Little people are a funny lot, aren't they?