Well, okay then

I'll tell you the circumstances of the event, but not where or how it came about.

I was sitting at a table munching on chicken strips and drawing on a napkin. I'd noticed that this little cutie of about 7 or 8 had been kind of been watching me--probably because of my arm, as that happens quite a bit. So, she was sitting at a nearby table by herself, watching me draw, and lo and behold she walks up and starts chatting wwith me!

"That's really cute," she says (I was drawing a little fairy sitting in profile.) "How do you do that?"

"Thank you," I say. "I got this good by practicing every day. I've been drawing since I was your age," I tell her. So she watches me for a bit, and finally asks me about my arm. They always do eventually. I explain to her that I was born without my hand, and she scrunches up her face in a cute way. "It's okay though," I say. "It doesn't really bother me."

"I wanted to ask but I wasn't sure," she says, so considerate.

"Oh, it's fine," I say.

After a few seconds of watching me and commenting on the quality of my art, she goes and gets her own napkin, plops down right beside me and starts to draw the very same picture I just finished. Now I watch her for awhile, and she says things like "It's not very good" as children tend to do, but I keep encouraging her and telling her its gfine.

"Now, I'm going to go in the back for awhile," I tell her. "Let me know how your drawing turns out." She says okay and I go back into the back room to . . . well, I can't really tell you as that would sort of give away where I was. But anyway, I go back and do what I'm going to do, and about twenty minutes later I'm ready to leave. As I come through the front she is still sitting there drawing that same fairy! Well, actually it's a different drawing, but she is re-copying it again. I see her finished version sitting there, and I tell her how good it is (it really is pretty good, better than average for a child her age.) Anyway, I ask her if I can keep it, and after a bit of hesitation, she nods vigorously. Obviously stunned that I would want to keep her art when mine is so much better.

"Are you leaving?" she asks, and I tell her that yes, I have to go.

"But, what are you going to do with your drawing?" she enquires.

"You can keep it," I say, as that seems fair--a drawing for a drawing. You should've seen her face light up then. I wish I hadn't had to go, but unfortunately I was starting to feel a little ill, probably from the chicken strips. But we exchange goodbyes, and I felt so happy that I managed to bring a little bit of joy and happiness into one little girl's day. I never asked her name, but perhaps I will see her again some day, and I still have her drawing and will keep it forever, a token of a wonderful GM.

See? It didn't take much to talk me into divulging my story, did it? Gah, I'm a sucker for telling a good story anyway, ain't I, though? :)