Something in my spirit tends to attract the most unique characters—especially when I’m traveling—but none quite like a precocious 4-year-old I had the pleasure of meeting one late afternoon in a Memphis dive bar.

I parked right in front of Westy’s with such ease that I expected a quiet dinner, accompanied by musical Memphis accents and maybe a chat with a bartender. I was still perusing their sprawling menu over an old fashioned when little H arrived, pad and pen in hand to “take my order,” then climbed onto the bar stool next to me where she stayed for the next hour, dazzling everyone who walked in.

(I have never heard “Whose child is that?” asked so earnestly & repeatedly in. my. life.)

While her mom waited tables and H waited for her dad to come pick her up, she chatted with me about everything from what was good on the menu to big girl panties before she brought the conversation to an abrupt halt for a v serious question:

“Are you a stranger?”

I cleared my throat to both swallow an impending belly laugh and keep from choking to death in the presence of a child.

That’s when we officially made our introduction, and H gave me the really personal details about how Sonic the Hedgehog was her favorite video game character (same, girl, same) and blue was her favorite color (naturally). She insisted that I draw something for her, take a selfie, and share her orange slices before finally presenting another v important query:

“Can we be friends?”

Geez, I thought she’d never ask.

EDITED TO ADD:
Here’s a brief selection of H’s conversations with others in the bar:
◦ She very matter-of-factly informed an MPD officer in full uniform that he had “crazy eyes.” (For the record, being very blue & surrounded by crow’s feet was what made his eyes so “crazy”.)
◦ As a woman in a royal blue dress that was so stunning against her light brown skin left, H gasped that her dress made her look “beautiful like a princess!” (The woman replied, “Thank ya, baybee!” and the whole exchange made me melt.)
◦ H demanded to know why some poor regular just trying to enjoy a beer at the very edge of the bar was being so quiet. (Then looked to me to explain why it’s OK to just sit quietly.)
◦ When one of the line cooks came up to tease her and ask if she wasn’t speaking to him today, she cheerily replied “NOPE!” and went back to drawing on her order pad.

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where i wandered: