Since the Good Lord above, in His infinite wisdom, saw to it that the universe would be better off if I never had any kids of my own, I have experienced great joy in being “Uncle Rick.” I have been bestowed with that honorable moniker by some kids who were the children of good friends and not even “technically” blood related. The latest of these is an adorable little five-year-old named Kennedy Holbrook, the daughter of our manager, Cheltsie Holbrook. Although she has, on occasion, called me “Uncle Rick,” she more often calls me “Mr. Rick,” which is what most everyone around here calls me.
I have never been one to attempt to “force” myself on anyone, especially kids. If they feel like interacting, that’s fine. If they don’t, that’s fine, too. I do admit, most of the time Kennedy stops into the office, she is friendly to me, but she may or may not feel like really visiting with me. This makes those days when she does feel like taking time with me all the more cherished. Earlier in the week, Kennedy was here in the office and it was a “Mr. Rick” day. She came over and hopped into my lap and proceeded to ask me to play with her. I did have work to do, so I couldn’t really play with her, but I could at least spend a bit of time with her. Of course, I think the real motivation on Kennedy’s part had little to do with me personally, and much more to do with the prospect of a bag of Cheetos, which she often receives (I never said I was beyond using “bribery” in order to get a little one’s attention). Although I did not have any Cheetos, she still wanted to sit in my lap and show me the YouTube videos she was watching.
I do promise that, during this time, I did get some work done; albeit with one-handed typing as the other arm was busy holding my little friend. I’m not sure how much Ken-Ken (as we sometimes call her) enjoyed it, but it did make the heart of this crippled old man feel good.
I’m not sure just what the long-term future holds for Kennedy and Mr. Rick. Regardless, I plan to enjoy the relationship for as long as I can. Who knows? She may end up being my boss one day. If that’s the case, I want to stay on her good side, regardless of how many bags of Cheetos it takes.