The other day I was waiting in the Prefecture... like FRRO office in Toulouse, to get my French papers in order.
Went to the loo and I was just using the wash-basin near the Women's toilet, when a not-so-fat-looking, African woman in her colourful boubou stopped me in the middle, to say...
wait, Just to tell you that in Prefecture, 80 percent foreigners come to get their papers done. And we quickly exchanged smiles and not 'bonjour' before she stopped me abruptly...
So she politely and confidently asked me in French, " Could you hold my baby for 2 minutes while I go to the toilet ?" I was so touched by the trust she showed in me.
In France, this would happen rarely. She gave me her baby in my arms even before I could say 'Yes' or...
I asked her how old is he? 7 months cute looking black boy, right in my arms, there! We were alone, looked at each other. It was such a surprise to me, I tried hiding my emotions to him or his Mom.
We played, side and seek (in my arms), he smiled, he clung on to my shoulders and laid near my neck with his head slightly touching my head/ right side near chin.
What a lovely feeling, all of a sudden, in the middle of Prefecture!
While I had the boy in my arms, I made sure I was talking to him, making some sounds, to assure the woman in the toilet, that I didn't run away with her kid.
Why ? She seemed confident. Because this has never happened with me before with a stranger in France.
In India, this would be so obvious that I don't even need to right a blog on it.
She came out, patiently washed her hands well. The kid was patiently waiting too, and there we go. She said Thanks and I said, he was very cute. Almost felt like saying- thanks- tnx for trusting me and thinking capable of doing it, trusting another woman, a stranger and that too foreigner, a brown Indian looking woman.
