He smelled like marshmallows

Yesterday I was sitting on a picnic table in a park, swinging my legs, eyeing the clouds, trying to will the dark ones into turning back around, and because I was looking up it took me by surprise when a little curly-headed blond boy was suddenly in front of me. He was probably two, three at the most, and he had these gorgeous big green eyes. He patted my legs and reached up and said ‘up up!’ I looked around and didn’t see a concerned mother anywhere, and well, what was I going to do but pick him up? So I did. He was adorable. He flung his arms around my neck and buried his curls on my shoulder. I stood up with him in my arms and thought, oh dang, did I just steal a baby? and thought maybe I should have had my cell phone on me so I could call, what, 911? Lost adorable baby in Gypsy Hill park? If no one else wants him I’ll take him home? After thirty seconds of me hugging him back and asking him, 'where’s your mommy?' I heard a lady yelling ‘Ronnie! Get your butt back here!’ and there was a heavy, bored-looking woman 50 yards away over in the parking lot, smoking a cigarette. Is that your mommy? She hollered again, so I set him down and pointed him in the right direction. She finally picked herself off the hood of her car and walked over to meet him in the middle. In that minute I thought that if there was a way for me to pick him back up and run off with him, I would. Change his name, give him a bath, and keep him.