Red Mango

During Grandma's visit we spent a lot of time lying low around the house, venturing out for food and shopping. The weather alternated between pouring rain and energy-sapping humidity. On one trip downtown we were deposited by the taxi short of our destination because construction workers were demonstrating. We started out feeling enthusiastic but by the time we made it to the exchange bank to get money we had wilted. Instead of shopping we decided on iced coffee and pineapple yogurt from the Red Mango. Ben was delighted with this turn of events because at the table next to us sat a mother and two little girls. Benjamin hasn't had many opportunities to be around other children and up till now hasn't been interested in them. At first he just sat and smiled as the mother encouraged her youngest daughter to touch Ben's hand and chuck him under the chin. Then the little girls stood up on the seat and started bouncing. By this time Benjamin was thoroughly enraptured. He studied every move they made and became enboldened enough to stand up and try jumping himself. Without the Jolly Jumper, though, he couldn't seem to figure out how to get his chubby legs off the ground. The girls thought bouncing on the seats was great fun and the more the girls laughed the giddier Ben got!