Just a quick run down to the grocery store in 100 degree heat at noon is never a fun task, but somebody's gotta do it. She cranked the AC in the car and missed the neighbors fat fluffy tabby on the way out of the garage. It was not her cat, but she kept food out for it. It seemed to always be outside, and in the heat she added water to the food on the retaining wall.
As she descended the hill to the store, she reflected on the several times she had given folks a ride up from the store to their apartment. It was either too hot, or freezing cold, and they clearly were struggling. She wasn't a lyft driver, and she was not outgoing or overly friendly, but she did hate driving past someone shuffling up that stupid hill in either heat or ice. It was simply a human thing to stop and offer to drive them to their apartment parking lot, at least.
She glanced at the aforementioned parking lot as she passed and noted a small head bopping between cars. She did a double take to insure that she had seen a small child, too small to be alone in the parking lot. The child was clad only in a diaper. Without a thought, she whipped into the lot and parked center, hopping out of the car quickly so as not to lose sight of the child. They were close enough to the road that she wanted to get to them fast.
The toddler--she guessed they were barely walking age, perhaps two--smiled up at her when she approached. She asked "What in the world are you doing out here, friend?" She scanned the parking lot for a taller human, ostensibly a parent or babysitter, but saw no one. Afraid the child would run away from her toward the street, she reached out her hand and cooed, hoping it would work. It did, and the little one stomped straight to her with a giant grin on their face. Blonde hair, blue eyed and adorable. Karen took the tots hand and then said out loud "I think we need to find your adult, friend. Did you escape from somewhere?" She received a radiant giggle as an answer.
She began to walk slowly, holding hands with the child, toward the apartments. She began to speak her thoughts to the child as they walked. "I suppose we can start here on the ground floor. I find it unlikely that you shinnied down the stairs." She walked a straight line from where the child had been playing, and saw the open front door. "Aha, this is your apartment, isn't it? You're a hooligan."
She stood at the open door with the child, peering into the interior as her eyes adjusted from the blazing sun. She saw a young woman wearing headphones and vacuuming her rug. She knocked on the open door. The woman did not respond, so she took a step inside and waved her arms. The woman looked up confused, then looked at Karen's hand clasping the child's and her eyes flew wide open. She ripped out her earphones and threw down the vaccuum, leaving it running, and rushed to the child.
"Oh my God, ohmyGod, Dear God how did you open the door you can't even reach I didn't leave it open it's a hundred degrees oh my god where was she?"
Karen turned to go. "In the parking lot," she walked back through the door, closing it solidly behind her. To the mother it may have felt like the door was slammed, but that was not Karen's intention. It was merely to snap it shut so it would not fall open again.
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