Taking a Piper to the airport is a bit like bringing along a frisky cat. She darts under luggage racks and refuses to yield the aisle, even when a traveler is coming straight at her with rolling bags twice her size. She must touch and sometimes lick every germy surface. There’s so much open space in which to skip and frolic and cool moving escalators and belts. Makes me wish I had a kiddie leash. No judging here.
Even a trip to the bathroom is an adventure. While waiting in a long line in the ladies room, I bent down to check for shoes under the stalls.
“Mom,” Piper said, “I don’t think you’re supposed to look under there at the people. That’s what you always say.” I tried to explain that I was just assessing occupancy, but P had already moved on to her next observation. “Look! Somebody thinks their luggage needs to go potty, too!”
Sometimes, when you’re a Piper that is, your parents drag you along on their adventures. They don’t know where they’re going exactly, but they have the whole day free and the sun is shining and life is grand. So, somebody’s sister’s hairdresser’s cousin told them about this mansion in Dupont Circle where you can roam through 4 connected row houses with 20 secret passages and they don’t even know if it exists but they’re willing to try because it does sound magical, even if only half of it’s true. And because you’re a Piper, you say yes, too, because it’s in your blood. You skip down the cobblestone streets petting every dog along the way. You play along in the “If I had ten million dollars, that would be my house” game that everyone plays in Dupont Circle. You munch on a pile of naan bread because that is what you’re addicted to these days. Your parents find the address, but there is no real sign so they barge inside immediately, assuming the lack of welcome is another part of the intrigue. They’re right. You wander from room to room opening mirrors that lead to more rooms and pushing on bookcases that reveal secret passages. Every surface is covered in treasures. It’s surreal and you’re pretty sure you’ve stepped into a Scooby Doo haunted mansion episode. So, then you find fancy hats in one of the guest suites and of course, you try them all on.
Because you’re a Piper, you jump right in to the fun and make even more.
The next room over you stumble upon a motley collection of musicians who put a guitar in your daddy’s hand and he says yes, too.
And the adventure continues because you’re a Piper and you don’t just put your toe in to the test the water, you cannon ball into the middle of the pool. Always.
piperism 