Can you hold my baby?

If you recall, I blogged about a woman who left her baby outside of a movie theater in Kazakhstan upon arriving here. She wanted to see the movie and the baby was left sleeping. This shocked the hell out of me, because I was not used to people being so trusting. I would never contemplate leaving my baby unattended. That is like leaving your purse on a bus and hoping nobody steals it.

Well, I have one to top this. While waiting in the airport in Abu Dhabi, a young woman approached me and asked me if I was sitting in the area. I told her I was. She then asked if I could please watch her baby, while her and her mother had a cigarette. I must have been in shock (again) and just said, "sure", to which she handed me a very brand-new baby, all wrapped up tightly in a blanket. I went back to my seat (I had been looking at the gate screen) and my friend laughed at my story. There was no way a woman would just hand me a baby. A perfect stranger. But, how else could I explain the fact that I now had an infant in my arms?

The mother came back. I found out she was from Russia and the baby, Mona, was only 30 days old. I had guessed two weeks originally.  Anyway, she took her baby and went on her way. Then, she returned about 30 minutes later to ask the favor of me again. I obliged. I mean, I do love babies. I just wish they didn't grow up. I love them when they are that little. But, that is another story.  When she came back to get Mona the second time, she said she would be back again. I had to tell her I was sorry, but my flight was boarding soon. I was sad and somewhat frightened for Mona. I mean, who would watch her now? Was everyone as trustworthy as me with a newborn child? Would someone try to kidnap her? Oh, how trusting other cultures are. Hopefully little Mona is safely back in Moscow with her family.