Frankie-Ann Lovejoy

If there was one occurring event in Mother’s life that truly baffled her beyond all reason,

it was why her tiny toddler of a daughter had yet to start walking.

She knew it should be happening very soon. Little Baby Girl was almost a whole year old

by now. She had been doing everything else on time.

She’d said her first-word “shoe” not too long ago. Not “Mama” or “Dada.” “Shoe,” as in the

sweet pink booties Grandma had made, the one’s Mother could hardly pry away from Baby Girl

whilst she slept at night.

Baby Girl could clearly stand, if not very well. Mother loved to watch her daughter grip the

blankets that layered the sofa with her tiny hands as she tried to steady herself. She would

stumble and fall more often than not, to which super Mother would fly in to comfort her now

fussy baby.

And Baby Girl could clearly understand her when Father said, “Come to Dada!” and Baby Girl

would enthusiastically charge forward on her hands and knees like a soldier fighting to escape

the battlefield.

And yet she still had not taken a single intentional step.

Mr. Doctor said there was nothing wrong with her. Every other milestone had been hit on

time. Baby Girl wasn’t yet behind.

“Don’t force it, dear,” Grandpa had told her while she was picking up Baby Girl.

“Children are a finicky bunch. Just let her do things at her own pace.”

“And what if she never learns to walk?” Mother said. Baby Girl happily reached out for

Mother to pick her up, grabbing at her clothes and snuggling into her neck.

“Let’s not worry about that until we have to,” Grandma said chuckling with a knowing

smile. “You never know. She may surprise you.”

Later that same week, Mother drove back to Grandma’s house to retrieve Baby Girl after

a long day at work. She climbed up the porch steps and waltzed into her parents’ house as she

usually did.

Mother came face-to-face with Grandma and Grandpa standing on different ends of the

room as Baby Girl would toddle in between them. Mother dropped her bag in joyful surprise.

“Baby Girl! You’re walking!” She exclaimed. How could she miss her own baby’s first

steps? “Come! Come to Mama!”

Baby Girl looked at her, dropped to the floor, and began to army crawl across the carpet

towards the front door, cooing and babbling as Mother stared in shock.

“You little rascal!” She said in confused amusement. “You’ll walk for them but not for

me?!”

Grandma gave a guilty chuckle. “I think she has some favoritism going on.”

“Has she done this before?!”

“Maybe... I think she just likes being carried instead.”

“Mother!”

That same day, when Father tried to pick up Baby Girl at her prompting, Mother stopped him

and said, “She’s just trying to trick you! Don’t let that cute little face fool you too!”