The New Baby Ambassador

Location: Budapest, Hungary
March 11, 2010
Adventure #8

Recently, I ventured to the US embassy in Hungary to pick up a new passport, which is no small process. I managed to secure an appointment, passed the passport screening at the embassy gates, walked past the thug-like clumps of police officers and security guards, entered the gray, bullet-proof door into the security screening room, passed through the metal detector, surrendered my electronic devices to the guard, entered another bullet-proof door into a waiting room, took a number, then waited to be called to a window.

While I waited for my number to be called, a frazzled, Hungarian woman walked by with her little boy in his car seat. She looked pleadingly at me and I smiled back. I guess I passed her good-people radar (or it was the fact that I passed all the security screens already), because then she asked me for a rather odd favor.

Frazzled mom: "Sorry to bother you, but could you watch my baby for just a minute."
Me: "Um, sure."
Frazzled mom: "It's just that I forgot my wallet in the car, and I have to pay, but I don't want to bring my son outside."
Me: "Sure. But, if my number is called, I'll just ..."
Frazzled mom: "Oh, please don't leave him alone in the waiting room."
Me: "Oh, no, of course not. I just wanted to say that I'll be at the window."
Frazzled mom: "Yes, ok. I'll be just a minute."

Then she ran out the door. Besides her accusation that I would abandon the baby as soon as my number was called, I was quite sympathetic to her plight. The weather was terrible - thick steady snowflakes and slushy streets - and she didn't want to bundle up the little boy just for a few minutes. Plus, I could barely make it through the security screening unscathed, so I can't imagine bringing an infant through the mess. So there I was, in the middle of the American Embassy, holding a baby that wasn't mine, and my number was called. I took the nameless child to the window where I had to ask for my passport.

Embassy employee: "How can I help you?"
Me: "I just need to pick up a new passport."
Embassy employee: "What's your baby's name? I'll go find it."
Me: "Oh, it's for me, not my baby. And it's not my baby."
Embassy employee, looking confused: "Are you babysitting?"
Me: "Well, not really, the lady who was just here left him with me."
Embassy employee gave me blank, weird stare.
Me: "She's coming right back. She just had to run to her car."
Embassy employee: "Ok."

Luckily, at that awkward pause, the mama returned, and the cashier recognized that she was the same woman that had been at the window desk before me. The lady thanked me profusely and then took her baby to the cashier's desk. My babysitting duties were finished.