Ad Libbed

A little later he stood on the sidewalk surrounding the store and scanned the parking area. It didn't look familiar, and he remembered that there had been a set of trees very near where they had parked. He began walking along the sidewalk, making his way towards the center outside perimeter of the mall. He was thirsty, and tired, and now, more than a little scared. Finally he discovered an area that looked like it could be the correct one. He stood on the edge of the walk, biting at the side of his lip. Going into a busy parking lot without an adult ranked as a serious no no, and would end with a painful spanking. There was no doubt in his mind about that. He rubbed his bottom, thinking back to several days before when he had been put across his daddy's knees and spanked for playing with a lighter. Any time that he got involved in something dangerous, his rear end suffered for it.

He wasn't sure what to do.

A group of excited teens interrupted his musing. There were several, and they stopped near where he was and conferred over their lunch plans. Finally one of the boys held up his hands and clapped loudly. "That's it! We're heading right over there and eating at the barbecue restaurant."

The other members agreed good naturedly, and stepped off the curb, heading for the diner. Tony grabbed his opportunity. These were grown ups, so he shouldn't get a spanking if he followed them around the lanes of cars. He jumped off and hurried after them, his little legs straining to keep up with their longer ones.

On the way he recalled a scene from a Sesame Street episode his abuela had allowed him to watch. The boy in the story had been mute, and didn't talk at all the whole segment. That provided him with a clever idea, and Tony giggled. He could pretend to be mute, like the boy that he had watched.

Five minutes later the teens entered the establishment. Tony lagged a couple of minutes behind them, but finally, he, too, made his way into the restaurant. He was tired from the fast pace, and very thirsty. Rubbing his tummy, he realized that he was extremely hungry, as well. Right about now, back home in Washington, his abuela would be getting his lunch ready.

The hostess heard the door shut and came around the corner. When she saw Tony she looked for the rest of the family, and frowned when she noted no one else. She regarded him more carefully. He was a cute little fellow, tiny, with green eyes framed by long eyelashes, and brown hair sprinkled with blond highlights.

"Hey there, Handsome- did your family go sit down already?"

Tony didn't answer, determined to mimic the television boy, and she looked around the restaurant. Seeing no one she could connect with the child, she tried for an explanation once again. "What's your name, Baby?"

Again, Tony watched her, but refused to speak.

Concerned, she walked over and took him by the hand, ordering with concern, "Come with me."

He trotted beside her and she led him to a small two person booth. She lifted him onto the seat and reached into her apron pocket and pulled out some crayons and the restaurant's color sheet. "Here you go, Honey. Stay right here and color this picture for me, and I'll be back."

Tony quickly settled in to the task at hand, and leaning half on the table, he began to color. Within a minute the hostess reappeared with the restaurant manager, a jovial middle aged man who tried to get Tony to communicate, also. Tony regarded him steadily, but still refused to talk.

The manager stood up in defeat and whispered to the hostess, "Go check with every single diner here and make sure he doesn't belong to one of them."

She hurried off to check, and the manager scooted onto the seat next to Tony, ready to try again. He was the father of two small children, and his heart lurched. He would be out of his mind with worry if he couldn't find one of his.

"Are you hungry for a bite to eat, Big Man?"

Tony's head jerked upright so fast that the man laughed. "Hold on a couple of minutes and we'll get you something to eat and drink. I think I can recognize an empty tummy when I see one."

The hostess returned with the news that Tony belonged with none of the patrons, and the manager told her to sit down and stay with Tony, and not to let him out of her sight. The kid looked about three, and he certainly couldn't be off by himself.

He quickly called the local division of the Baltimore police department, then headed to the kitchen to get lunch prepared for their little visitor.

The police arrived as Tony polished off the last bite of his hamburger. Seeing the officers approach, he quickly drank the last of his Coke. His abuela would not be pleased if she found out he had been drinking a Coke for lunch instead of milk, so he wanted to make sure he left no evidence of his crime.

Satisfied that he had gotten rid of the incriminating beverage, he politely wiped his mouth with his napkin. Then he smiled at the officers and waited patiently. One beckoned over the manager to find out the background while the other radioed in to his headquarters. Finally, they both approached and greeted him brightly.

The taller one introduced himself as Officer Matt, and the shorter and older one as Officer Mike.

Tony regarded them carefully. They looked like nice guys, and they had badges like his daddy's.

The hostess came back and joined them, clearly worried. "He's just such a little kid, I can't imagine what has happened. He doesn't talk, but he understands what you say to him."

She smiled down at Tony, her eyes misty. "You're going to be okay now. The nice policemen are going to take you to where they work now. You can take your pretty picture with you." She pointed down at Tony's color sheet. "You did a great job with it."

Tony nodded at her, and for just a second he got scared. He knew he would come to no harm at the restaurant, but would he be all right once he left it?

He took another look at the officers and calmed down. These were policemen who wore uniforms, and Daddy said that he was like an NCIS policeman.

He slid from his seat and waited for the next move.