“I read the news today, oh boy…”
In the October 28th, 2022, issue of the Weekly View, I wrote “A Day In The Life,” an acknowledgement of John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s song, which was covered by one of my favorite jazz guitarists, Indianapolis native Wes Montgomery. I thought of that column as I approached the parking lot of the Warren Township Government Center. I arrived at 1:35 p.m. to cast my vote on this early voting day and was not the first to do so. The parking lot was overflowing with cars when I arrived, and people wrapped around the Western face of the building and extended down the Southern side. I strolled past those people and began my day in the line.
Cirrus clouds wafted across a bright blue sky; the temperature was in the high 70 degrees, giving the guests in the queue a degree of comfort. As new arrivals stacked up behind me, I noticed a mother with a stroller, just in front of me. The short fat leg of a small child peeked from beneath the sun cover of the stroller; the mother wrangled dropped bottles and toys. The woman was doing the “soothe-the-baby” movement, gently pushing the “Joolz” stroller in a back-and-forth motion. A brisk wind blew leaves and pine needles unto our heads, and the mother picked up a small maple leaf and handed it to the child. I was recording notes on the day when my pen made a break for it, leaping from my hand and landing on the ground directly behind the mother. As a decorated veteran of careful interactions with women who are strangers to me, I said “Excuse me,” to the mother. She glanced toward me, and I pointed to my pen, which had landed about a foot behind her. I told her that I had not wanted to startle her and then leaned down to retrieve the instrument. As I stood up, I noticed that Mom had rotated the stroller, and I saw the bright smile of the child. I began a careful and respectful play with her, with “peek-a-boo” as the warmup.
The line moved slowly toward the front door of the building, and the child was now on Mom’s hip, getting the “soothe-the-kid” bounce and swing. I sang the songs that my youngest grandchild has heard: “Dance, dance, shake your baby pants! Turn around, touch the ground, do a little baby dance!” And “Good morning, good morning, how are you today? I love you, I love you, come out and go play!” Her mother told me that they speak Spanish at home, and I shared what little Spanish I know, and learned “gallo” when a rooster crowed in the distance. The child’s smile grew larger, and I noticed two dimples. She made attempts to convince Mom to put her on the ground, but to no avail.
The child and the man continued their interplay as we made our way to the door, and when we parted at the actual door to the polls, the little one’s mother thanked me for entertaining the child as we waited in line. I told her that her daughter had made my heart happy, and at 3:30 p.m. when I exited the polls, I imagined that I heard Harry Belafonte singing “Jump In The Line” from the movie “Beetlejuice.” The small child and I were the only ones who could “shake, shake, shake Senora,” and after having seen the polls that day, oh boy, I hurried home to record my day in the line.
cjon3acd@att.net