Lube Job / Day Care

I went to get an oil change for my car yesterday at Jiffy Lube. I was sitting in the waiting room which has giant windows on two sides to let you monitor the lube situation as you wait in air-conditioned comfort. (By the way, Texas is currently experiencing a glorious mid-winter heat wave with highs in the upper 70s--Oh joy!) Oddly, there was a toddler who was also waiting with me. He had no adult escort as far as I could tell, but there were no other cars in the bay, so I could assume only that he was the son of one of the employees. This assumption was confirmed by the dark oil stains on the bottom of his pudgy feet, which could only have obtained that hue from toddling through the lube station all day. He was a real cutie and alternated giving me shy, flirty smiles and coyly playing with a cell phone (his cell phone?). Soon, his father, who was in fact one of the mechanics, came and retrieved the little tyke and proceeded to play with him near my car.

I was making a few calls when suddenly I heard a baby crying. This wailing seemed a little too young for the toddler, who I hadn’t heard reenter the waiting room anyway. How mysterious. It took me about 30 seconds to discover the source of the distress--an infant in her little car carrier, precariously balanced on top of a printer, on top of a shelf, on top of the desk, behind the counter! I’d been there for 20 minutes, in a room that was no larger than 10 feet by 10 feet and did not previously detect her presence. Mr. LubeGuyDaddyDaycare did not notice that the babe was in distress, but I didn’t want to upset her further by going behind the counter and trying to calmer her. I mean, I was both a customer and a stranger, so my being behind the counter would be considered inappropriate. But, then so would gabbing on a cell phone and not attending to a wee baby’s cries. What does one do in that situation? As weird as it is to keep your kid on your work desk like a discarded three-ring binder, I decided the dad would be the best source of comfort, so I stuck my head out of the door and let out a loud “ahem.” Mr. LGDD came running to quiet her and took her out to the bay to finish my Subaru. What an odd juxtaposition: a clean, pink-cheeked 3-month-old in the oily hands of a mechanic who dangled her over my car’s engine while tightening the radiator cap. I couldn’t help but wonder what horrible circumstances led this poor man to opt to take care of two children while finishing up his work shift. And was it safe? It’s such a weird idea, babies at the lube station, that I can’t imagine that whatever board of health or better business bureau or child protective services would even have a rule against it. Plus, he seemed to have everything under control so I certainly couldn’t judge him. And, my Subaru now purrs like a kitten.

[Image from: http://bongo.www8.50megs.com/oil_change.htm]