Hey Little Girl

It’s not what you think. “Hey little girl” is not a pick up line. The first time I uttered the phrase was for Liz Lane when she was three or four years old. Our families were staying in Myrtle Beach. She’s the youngest child of our friends, Rick and Jan and one of the youngest members of our group.

I stuck my hand through the open door of one of the rooms where we were staying and said, “Hey little girl. I’ve got something to show you. You’re going to like it. It’s very pretty.” I rattled off my little speech in a high pitched, politically incorrect, accent as I imagined a man from Mexico might say. It’s one of the many voices I’ve used in my attempts to be humorous. The adults laughed, and Liz became enamored with the character I created by closing my fist and placing my thumb across my index finger . We struck up a conversation and interacted with each other like that for several years.

I was reminded of that exchange over thirty years ago when Liz posted a picture of her family on Facebook. They’re far from Myrtle Beach, living in Anchorage, Alaska. Liz’s daughters are older than she was when I first uttered those words.

A few years later, I offered those same words to young Jon Binns. Jon’s mom and dad, John and Cynthia, spent their honeymoon in Myrtle Beach the first time Ruth and I joined the crew from Addison. Jon is the third of three children. He’s about to become a father.

By the time I spoke with Jon, I often drew eyes on with a borrowed ink pen. Sometimes my character remained faceless. With, or without, a face the words were similar only this time they went, “Hey little boy. I’ve got something to show you.”

Once I got going, we held a brief conversation. I remained in character while the kids reacted to my words. It was all meant in fun, although today I wouldn’t use the same words. I’d remain in character but choose my phrases more carefully.

A couple of years ago, I dug out my character for my granddaughter, Eva. The verbiage remained the same, but my looks improved. I used colored markers and had red lips, blonde hair, and eye lashes. It looked something like this.

One thing I’ve noticed, while I’m still able to reproduce my politically incorrect voice, it resonates from a highly wrinkled face. I’m just happy to still have the inclination and opportunity.