WW#16 – Travel Edition

     On Monday afternoon, I found myself sitting in the Oakland airport. I was in a very bad mood after hearing bad news from home and a negative encounter with a nasty lady and I was very crabby after having to wait for the delayed plane. Finally, I boarded the plane and found myself sitting next to an adorable little girl traveling alone.  She immediately introduced herself, “I’m Emma Cutie Patooty. I’m 9 and I’m going to my grandma’s in Las Vegas for two weeks until my mom gets back. I have all of my homework in my suitcase so I don’t fall behind because I have A’s right now and I DO NOT want to get back home and have F’s!”  I told her it was nice to meet her then pulled out my knitting project while she settled in with a book.

            As I knit, I could see her out of the corner of my eye.  She kept peeking over at me and then back to her book. After a few minutes, she started leaning in my direction to get a better look at the scarf I was working on. Finally, when her head was practically in my lap, I asked, “Do you knit Emma?”

            “Yep. My grandma taught me last summer, but I ran out of yarn and mommy keeps forgetting to take me to get more.” She heaved a big sigh the way only a nine year old who has to put up with something as exasperating as forgetful parents can do.  I put my knitting down and fished an extra set of needles and a new skein of yarn out of my bag. “Would you like to knit with me?” I asked handing the treasures over.

            Her green eyes got huge and round as she almost threw the book down and grabbed the yarn.  She held it for a moment while I resumed my own knitting. “The thing about knitting…”she started, “is that casting on is soooooooo hard. I can’t remember how to do it.” I took the yarn and we decided that she would knit a scarf “for next winter, because it’s very cold in the winter and you don’t want your neck to freeze.” I cast on 26 stitches and then handed the needles over to Emma.

            We spent the next hour with bamboo needles clicking like false teeth and I listened to her chatter on and on about school and her friends.  When we landed, she finished the row she was working on, looked down at her five inches of beautiful garter stitch and started to hand the project to me. I stopped her and said, “Why don’t you keep it. I have lots of needles at home. You can finish your scarf before your mom gets back..”

            The grin that spread across her face was priceless. I waited while the other passengers deplaned, then walked off the plane with Emma and the flight attendant to meet her grandmother.  Emma excitedly rambled our whole story out in one long run on sentence while holding up her handiwork for her grandmother to see.  The grandmother chuckled and thanked me. Emma hugged me goodbye and then off we went in our separate directions, her skipping beside her grandmother, and me strolling along with a happy smile on my face.

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            I posted a note about our encounter on Plurk and several people told me how sweet I was to give her the knitting supplies, but honestly, Emma’s kindness, gratitude and pure childish joy at being given such a small token was worth far more than the cost of the yarn and the needles.  She made me smile and relax, simply enjoying spinning yarn into fabric, instead of stewing in the negative thoughts I had when I boarded the plane and for that I am grateful. So Emma Cutie Patooty, wherever you are in Las Vegas, I hope you finish all your homework so you don’t lose your straight A status and I hope next winter you enjoy the pretty green scarf you made so your neck won’t freeze.