Saturday, August 27, 2011

Day 67 Interesting Hallway Find

Well, it was an interesting day at times! From finding a small child outside our hotel room this morning, to driving by a hurricane and finally arriving at our destination. 

What’s that? Oh, you’re wondering about the small child outside our hotel room! Of course you are! See, while I finished packing up our things, my husband headed off to the complimentary breakfast area with the kids. A few minutes later, I hear a tapping at my door. No, not the small child, but my son actually, telling me that they “found a little girl in the hallway!” She couldn’t have been but about three years old and nervously standing against fourth floor wall between hotel doors. 

My husband had tried knocking on a few hotel room doors and received either “no, she’s not mine” answers or no answer at all. I tried calling the front desk, but to voicemail I went (perfect timing).  I ended up coaxing the little girl to go with me, my husband and kids to the front desk. My mother stayed behind. 

Now, at the front desk, I interrupted the officious woman behind the desk who was helping another gentleman. I explained our little visitor whom I was carrying at this point, and her response was “Whaaattt?” We apologized to guy she was assisting for the intrusion while the front desk clerk searched through phone numbers, but he didn’t really seem to mind our intrusion when he heard why we were there. In fact, I believe he said “Oh no! Please take care of that.”

While I’m waiting, the little tyke begins to say something about her Daddy. She started saying “Dere’s my daddy!” I followed her tiny pointing hand. I approached the man who was standing outside on the patio and believe me, he had a strange look on his face when he saw me, a complete stranger, holding his daughter. I asked if this was indeed his daughter. I didn’t even really need to double check, she made it clear it was him. I explained how it came to be that I was in possession of his daughter. He was obviously shocked. The little girl’s aunt and cousins were also in the lobby at the same time and I knew she was with the right people. Phew... 

Apparently, the child slipped out of the room, leaving her sleeping mother behind, to go find her daddy. Hotel rooms have the easiest doors to open if you don’t have that little bar across the top. The father slipped out, and that simple bar wasn’t put back across the door so the little girl awoke and went on a search. I’m astounded by how easy it was for her to slip out, amazed at how none of those people that my husband asked behind hotel doors didn’t offer to help find a small child’s parents, and I find it hilarious that my daughter was concerned about the little girl being barefoot more than anything else. 

I’m so glad that it all ended well for that precious little child as things could’ve been much worse! Handing her over to her dad and seeing how happy she was to see him put a smile on my face. I can’t imagine how the parents would’ve felt if either of them had discovered she was missing! I would have been hysterical! I can’t help but think that we were fortunate to find her, to take her downstairs to where her father was waiting, unbeknownst to me and to him for that matter. Maybe one day, hotels will find better locking mechanisms, but for now, I’ll enjoy the smile I had returning the child to where she belonged.

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