“ Someone To Watch Over Me “   Part  3    by Carrabella Alvarez            

Tampa, Florida
 

Ever wonder why you're in a certain place, at a certain time, when something unusual happens? We never know why, until it’s revealed. And most of the time, the reason or purpose, is never revealed. In this case though, one of the major reasons I was in Tampa became crystal clear.

I originally went to Tampa to find out about a ship that would take me, my dogs, my car and belongings to Mexico. I had called every port in America and this ship was the last one that would take everything to relocate. However, when I got to Tampa,  even that ship had stopped carrying all of the above. They said it was for security reasons, even though no ports had been attacked. This was now Bush country, so everything had changed for the worse!

The other alternative was driving to Texas, cross into Mexico, then the long and arduous drive to Cancun. My oldest doggie couldn’t survive another long trip like that, so I hankered down in Tampa until I decided my next move.   

To make sure my doggies had plenty of running space, I rented a house with a large yard. Across the street was a lovely home that doubled as a Day Care Center.

That particular day, bigger kids were on the other side of the street, playing with a large red ball, while the little kids at the Day Care Center were playing in their yard. Their yard was completely fenced in by a 5 foot wire fence and secure gate.

I backed out of the drive way, on my way to the store. I parked on the grass, as usual, to get out and close my gate. Just as I pulled into the street, I happen to glance over at the Day Care Center.

What I saw, made me turn my car off and get out quickly. I didn’t close the car door because I didn’t want the slamming noise to startle anyone. 

Without showing any panic, I half ran over to the Day Care Center. A baby girl, about 8 months old, was actually climbing the 5 foot wire fence! She was almost to the top when I got out of my car. Now she was looking at me and laughing. She was definitely pleased with herself and the Olympic size feat she was accomplishing! I smiled back, praising her for being a good girl.

Just as she got to the top of the fence and didn’t have anything else to grab hold of, I reached her in time!  I gently grabbed hold of her and pulled her into my arms.   

   She was still looking at me, still laughing, but my heart was in my throat!
For her, it had been an amazing adventure; for me it had been a heart stopping moment!

If she had reached the top, with nothing else to hold on to, she would have fallen backwards on the concrete slab. There wasn’t any grass in the area around the gate. She could have been killed, suffered brain damage and/or broken bones. But then again, babies have fallen several stories and didn’t have any injuries at all. Either way, I didn’t wait to find out.

As I stood there with her in my arms, everyone on the street was looking and seemed to be in a state of suspended animation, until they saw that the little girl was safe.

The owner of the Day Care Center wasn't outside, so I called for her. When she came out, it was clear that she had been sleeping instead of watching over her little ones. But then again, who expected a baby to climb a 5 ft fence!

The moment she saw me on the other side of the fence, with the toddler in my arms, her mouth flew open. I told her what happened. The little girl may have climbed the fence because she wanted to play with the kids who had the big red ball.        
                                                                                                                                                

She thanked me for saving the baby and her ass, but I couldn’t take credit for something that happened beyond me.

I just hope I get a ‘head’s up’ the next time!