My friend Prabigya and I were looking for a place to have coffee yesterday.  We decided to enjoy Music Mania, a very cool store on the Kraanlei, just steps from my home.  It’s a new arrival on the street, combining vinyl records and drinks.  Plus the red chairs!

Prabigya’s friend was going to join us, along with her young daughter.  All three are from Nepal. 

When they arrived, the tiny girl was shy … of course.  Here was a guy she didn’t know, sporting white skin instead of brown, plus the old grey hair.

The four of us sat at one of the round tables.  People flooded by on the cobbles.  There was a fake flowering plant in the centre of the table.

I took a long packet of sugar, ripped off the top, and poured the whiteness into my latté.  The young one was watching.

Her eyes were getting braver with mine.

The torn-off end was lying on the table.  I shoved it towards the girl.  She stared at it a bit, then picked it up and dropped it into the plant pot.  Now her eyes on me.

Choosing my first and second fingers, rather than my thumb and first finger, I plucked the paper from its sanctuary and plopped it onto the table.  A small hand returned it to its proper secluded spot.

And on and on … back and forth for at least fifteen minutes – two human beings of different ages (2 and 76) waging finger wars while mom and Prabigya chatted away.

My fingers took different routes to the destination, sometimes bouncing, sliding, leaping, circling …  All fun for both of us.

At one point Prabigya said “She’s calling you grandpa in Nepali.”  Cool.  I’ve never been a grandpa.

Sooner than I wanted, it was time for mom and daughter to set off into the world.

Short fingers waving goodbye

Long fingers smiling in reply