Baby V's Great Adventure: A New Orleans Fable

                [all Baby V photos by parents J & K]

When V was a tiny infant, it was clear that she was a girl of great moxy and determination.  She could only crawl, but, even then, she was ready and eager to explore the great world that awaited her.

By fifteen months Baby V had mastered the art of walking.  She not only walked excellently, but she could climb onto very high things, do somersaults, turn around rapidly in circles, and run so fast that her dad could barely keep up with her.

It was time, V decided, to venture out into the world and find out what it held for her.  So she packed a few things and set out early in the morning before her parents were even awake.

Baby V walked and walked and walked.  Finally she came to a huge field where she saw a bunch of grown men running around and crashing into each other.  It was the Saints football practice field.  V watched for a while and thought to herself, ‘I am good at bumping people.  Maybe this is what I am meant to do with my life.’

She went up and talked to one of the big guys, who happened to be Drew Brees, the Saints quarterback.  V said she’d been watching and thought she could be good at this game.  Drew said, “You are definitely a girl of great moxy and determination, though you are sort of small for the NFL.  But our center was just injured, and so we’ll give you a tryout.”

V had a natural talent for centering the football, and Drew Brees was very complimentary.  Even so, he had to tell her, “As good as you are, you’re still not big enough.  Come back in a couple of years, and we’ll try you out again.”

 

V was not discouraged in the slightest, and she set out on the highway for the Big Easy.  She walked and walked and walked, and finally she came to a place downtown called Emeril’s.  It was a fancy restaurant.

Baby V went in and talked to a fellow named Emeril Lagasse.  She said she was a very good eater (which was true) and she was looking for a job.  Emeril said, “Well, you seem like a young girl of great moxy and determination.  It just so happens that our food critic has gone off to San Francisco. Let’s give you a try.” 

 

Baby V sat down, and Emeril served her Sauteed Escargot with Orecchiette Pasta, Creole Shrimp Gumbo,  Andouille Crusted Texas Redfish, and topped it all off with a Chocolate Torte with Whipped Double Cream.  V gobbled it all up with gusto and got more enthusiastic with every bite.  Emeril said, “You are just about the best eater I’ve ever seen.  But, unfortunately, our food critics need to be a little more critical.  Come back next year, and we’ll give you another try.” 

V was excited that the world held out so many fine opportunities.  She just had to find the right one.  So she walked and walked and walked, and soon she was at a place called Tipitina’s.  She went inside, and a big man was playing the piano.  V had already heard a lot of music in her fifteen months, and she recognized the piece as rhythm and blues, something she herself has often played on her xylophone.

The big guy’s name was Fats Domino.  V told him she liked his playing and she would like to be in a band too.  Fats was surprised to hear this from such a young person, but he invited V to sit down at the piano and he would see what she could do. 

V played her own renditions of “Blueberry Hill” and “Walking to New Orleans.”  Fats Domino was impressed. He’d never run across a fifteen-month-old who had such a perfect sense of rhythm.  Unfortunately, he told her, she had to be eighteen years old before she could play in a bar serving liquor, and so she would need to to wait a while. 

V liked Tipitina’s a lot, and she began wondering just where her place in the world was going to be.  But she walked and walked and walked, and soon she found herself in her own Mid City neighborhood.  She looked across the street, and there were some familiar faces.

It was Mommy and Daddy, who had been out looking for her all day. They were so happy to see her, and Baby V was so happy to see them.  She couldn’t wait to tell them about all the exciting things she’d seen and done.

So they all went home and had double servings of chocolate cake with blue and yellow icing.  And everybody was feeling very good. Baby V even decided that her future life had such promise that it would be all right to be a baby for a while longer.  Especially being a baby in such a loving family.  And she never thought about running off again. 

THE END OF THE STORY

G-Mail Comments:

-Phyllis SS (1-8-10): Dave - This was adorable.

-Lawdiva4 to Linda KC (1-8-10): Fabulous...loved it! Seriously, I could read these every day :) Keep them coming...

-Jennifer M (1-7-10): Great story and great pictures!

-Donna D (1-6-10): David this is the BEST one so far!!

-KKB (1-6-10):  that is the sweetest, most amazing story i've ever read!

J**, i would love it if you could print it up into a book.  K**

-Vicki L. (1-6-10):  David, These stories are just wonderful. Did you know that you can't easily put out a very professional-looking bound book via the internet. A client of mine just showed his (almost 300 pages) - said it cost him $15.00. This would make a treasured birthday or xmas present. What a grandpa!. Sis

-JML (1-6-10):  That was awesome Dad. I'm gonna make that into a book. Thank you so much, j**

-Linda KC (1-6-10):  oh my god, i love this so much i am sending it on to all my friends, thanks to a special grandfather and so creative