Follow The Leader

Yesterday we went to a family cookout for Steve's company. It was a good time, but tiring in a way I couldn't begin to explain if you've never been to a busy location with two small children who only want to wander off.

At one point I was resting, sitting on a low step, and watching the kids as Steve spoke to some co-workers, and that's when I saw Nicholas start to follow this man. As soon as I saw it, I knew what he was thinking. The man looked like Steve, or rather looked like Steve would look if he had a few more pounds of upper body. The pants were the same, and the brightly colored shirt looked just like a shirt Steve would wear. In fact, I thought it was Steve from behind for a few seconds. So when Nick started following him, I knew what he was thinking - his father was walking off, and he was following him.

To make matters more confusing, the non-Steve guy had his own family. His wife was with him, and his own children as well, in their own stroller. We did not bring a stroller, but this fact seemed to escape Nick. I watched as Nick followed them past the next tent and then called out to Steve to stop him. "He thinks that's you!" I said. Steve called out "Nick!" And Nick stopped, turned around to look, and then went back to following this man who he assumed was his dad, dismissing any doubts he might have had.

I think Nick was a little shocked to discover he was following a stranger, but he covered it well, climbing back towards us with a frozen, stoic look on his face. Later on, though, he made friends with this family, and at one point I was looking around frantically only to discover that he's climbed into the second seat of their double stroller. The man turned out to be someone Steve worked with, and was a nice guy. Apparently Nicholas thought so, too.

It was funny, though, even if it was a little scary.