There is no way to tell this story without sounding racist, so i shall just tell it.

We’re at Red Mtn Park. A girl maybe 7-8 starts talking to us – “she should be careful, that slide is slippery”, “my brother had to leave because he is allergic to your dog”. and such. I notice the girl is with 2 women with strollers, and a boy maybe G’s age, and a girl like 3 or 4, and they are talking in Spanish. not a usual sight in this park, but whatever. G is playing, I am drinking from a waterbottle, and G is playing, and I am giving her some, and we are putting it down next to the slide, and playing, and drinking and playing and putting it down next to the slide. G takes a lap around the volleyball court, the grassy areas, the swirly ride thing. we are maybe 100 ft from the slide, and we are gone like 5 minutes. And when we get back, I go look for the bottle cause G has been running and is thirsty. And the Mexican group is leaving.

and so I say “excuse me!”

and then i say “did you perhaps pick up a water bottle?”

“excuse me, do you have a water bottle that does not belong to you?”

“Hello, I think you took my bottle?”

and the Mexicans keep walking away, oblivious to me, or ignoring me, hard to say. and G is with me and what am I going to do run across the parking lot and get in their faces over a waterbottle? and i wonder if perhaps maybe i made a mistake, and misplaced the bottle, and by escalating this might be perpetuating an incredibly racist situation and experience. and why should I treat these people any differently than a white kid who took my bottle, and who’s parents I would ask to look at their kid and get my bottle back, because kids make mistakes and we need to teach em not be insane and the parents need to help each other out. And some dude is reading at a park bench and adamantly refusing to look up. and fer crissakes I get waterbottles all the time for free. And if you willingly allow yourself to be the victim of a crime, you are enabling that crime.

Whatever. i got G to deal with.

We walk back with Kila to the parking area, maybe 5 minutes, and then I think what the hell let’s cruise down the street and see if they are there. And they are – half a mile at least down Recker, which yet again you don’t often see in this neighborhood.

I don’t want this to get crazy, I don’t want to get in their faces, just do what is right and make the kid do what is right, so I pull slowly up to them but stay on the other side of the street so there is 25 feet between us at least. And I say “Excuse me, do you have my water bottle. I think you have my water bottle. Can I please have my water bottle back.”

Finally, the women stop and look up at me.

Wow!

Let’s just review this post and see how many times I was trying to non-confrontationally get their attention. Not paying attention, no speak ingles, ignoring? I do not know.

The woman says to me “I no speak English.” I point to the 8 yr old and say “she has my water bottle.” The woman sorta looks at the kid, looks at me, starts to walk away, and I point and say “ladron.”

Finally, the girl turns and you see she is holding my water bottle. The woman gets it, scolds the kid, hands the bottle to me. I say “gracias” and drive away.

WTF?

Was the kid doing what kids do? Did the kid learn this from her parents? She surely understood me.

There is no way to tell this story without sounding racist.