Jennifer Maddox, GPC Student

Where is Baby Linda

In my mother’s family there are eight children, so there is no shortage of humorous stories from their childhood days floating around at family gatherings. My very favorite story is about the game of Hide and Seek.

Anytime my grandparents would go out for the evening, Uncle Don, the oldest of the children living at home, would be put on babysitting duty. Considering his teenage status, he was always surprisingly good-natured about this and the younger kids loved him because he would play and have fun right along with them. One night, when Don was sixteen, my Nana and Poppy went out to dinner with their neighbors and one other couple. Uncle Don was left in charge of my mom and Uncle Dennis, the two boys who lived next door, and the daughter of the other couple, who ranged from four to eleven in age. With such a gap in ages, Don needed something to do that would be fun for all the kids. He decided a game of Hide and Seek was the answer.

After everyone had eaten the hot dogs that Uncle Don cooked for dinner, it was time to play. It was established that Don would be “It”, so the others went off to hide. He was in the laundry room, counting, when he felt a tap on his leg. He looked down to see my four-year old mother standing there, almost in tears. She was upset because all the older children had taken all the “good” hiding spots and she didn’t know where to go. Don told her not to worry; he would help her find a good place. They walked out of the laundry room and into the dining room. The first thing he saw was the heavy, oak china cabinet. It was perfect! He rushed over and quickly removed all of my grandmother’s finest china, carefully placing it in neat piles on the dining table. Once the shelf was clean, he laid his tiny sister on it and closed the glass door. She was delighted to have such a fun place to hide and tried hard to contain her giggles. Uncle Don went to find the other children.

Several minutes later, all the older kids were found and everyone went looking for my mom. Although each of them had walked through the dining room, none noticed the dishes stacked on the table or my gleeful mom smiling and waving her little hand through the glass door of the china cabinet. Uncle Don had just gathered the kids together to show them where he had hidden his sister, when he heard a key turn in the lock. His parents were back! He knew he was in trouble; my grandmother would have his head on a stick when she saw her best china lying unprotected on the dining room table. As the adults filed into the house, the children went running to greet their parents.

Despite everyone milling about and chatting in between the kitchen and dining room areas, several minutes had passed, and much to Uncle Don’s amazement, not a single person had commented on the out of place dinnerware or the laughing young girl in the china cabinet! Then Poppy turned to Don and asked, “Where is Baby Linda?”. Don swallowed hard and tried to stay calm as he explained that they had all been playing a game of Hide and Seek and his little sister was still hiding. Everyone chuckled and my grandmother began calling my mom’s name. Uncle Don cringed as Nana stepped into the dining room to look for her daughter. A few seconds later, my grandmother roared, “Donald Clifford!”.

Don crept into the dining room to face the wrath of his mom, who was standing, hands on hips, with her back to the cabinet. “Why in the hell is all my china on this table?” she demanded. Just as he began to explain, Shelley, the next door neighbor entered. This time, she immediately noticed my mom smiling and waving from the oak cabinet. “Oh look, Louise!” she said to my grandmother through bursts of laughter. Nana turned to see her little girl, happy as ever. She opened the cabinet door to remove my mom and by that time everyone had piled into the dining room and was laughing to the point of tears.

Nana was still upset with Uncle Don for leaving her china so vulnerable, but she could not get over the humor of the situation and went light on his punishment. I never get tired of hearing that story. I look at my mother and imagine her as that tiny girl hidden in the china cabinet. It always makes everyone laugh so hard that their stomachs hurt, even after many decades.