What's Up?

Something is definitely up. We don’t usually get music floating in the windows from some hard-to-pin-down direction in the middle distance. But today there it is, the same sort of gentle tune that plays on quasi-public holidays like International Workers’ Day.

I make my way to the mall, thinking I’ll be in ’n out after a short errand and maybe a quick bite. But traffic is worse than usual for a Saturday morning, and when I get there the place is packed… with little people waving balloons. Not a free seat anywhere at the food court.

At the top of the escalator somebody has planted a big bounce house; a few tiny, smiling heads trampoline up above the roofline every few seconds. Dozens more heads just like them are moving that direction, all slurping or quaffing or gobbling. I take shelter on the margins of the fanfare, where a new mom is also parked, watching the middle distance, nursing a newborn.

Finally the penny drops. The second Saturday in January. Loads of free gifts, games, and food for kids. National Children’s Day! I love this.