I often give tours to families with small children, sometimes even just a few months old. In those cases my work becomes more complicated and more challenging to: it is not easy to keep the attention for several hours or at least keep the liveliness of the little ones. I have to say, however, that I succeed quite well, thanks to some small tricks and also to the father experience I developed in these years. In short, in the end we almost become friends and it’s all smiles and kisses. But this time we went further.
With four Australian children some years ago.
A few days ago I had the pleasure of guiding around the city a beautiful Malaysian family: father, mother and the little Kai of only 2 years. Poor boy, he had a bad cold, but he spilled vitality from all the pores, always cheerful and smiling. Exactly like his parents Hui Ni and Mansukh, who with so much tranquility and determination too were able to keep him calm inspicte of his malaise and the trouble of walking so much under the warm September sun up and down the steps of the Sassi and the rocks of the Murgia. And I tried to facilitate the task, giving him a hand … in every sense.
The little Kai and I, hand in hand in the Sassi
There was sympathy at first sight between me and Kai and it was nice when he stretched out his little hand for me so I took it. So cute! And it was like that for the whole day: every now and then he went back to his mother or dad, but soon after he was back next to me. I admit that I was a little embarrassed, I was afraid that parents could get jealous, especially his father. But no. On the contrary, they wanted to capture the scene by photographing it.
At the end of the day the unexpected apotheosis: I greet the nice couple and then also the little Kai with a kiss and … he bursts into tears! He had sensed that after an intense day together we would not see each other again and the melancholy had overwhelmed him. This is the time to take out all my father experience: “Easy Kai, I’ll see you later so we’re spend some more time together”.
Tears stop coming down and his face returns to light up with his beautiful smile. The little lie had the desired effect. But it was only half-done. His parents, when he is older, will tell him about this day and show him the pictures; so he will want to come back to Matera, maybe with his friends or his girlfriend. So yes, I will meet you again.
See you soon then little Kai!
