God Bless the Nannies

So after Niko's nap we headed back up to the Totland in a frantic search for monkey. I redrove the route as much as I could (considering we were on walking paths for part of it) and headed up to the park since that was the last known sighting. I asked several parents/nannies if they had seen a monkey or a hat (stressing the importance of the monkey) and no one had. On my way out I am talking to Nikos about the hat and his monkey and I pass a nanny and her kids and she says "You need hat?" and I said "oh no, actually we lost a monkey and a hat" and she lifts up his hat from her stroller and says "Zees hat?" I thank her profusely and ask about a monkey (no dice) and we head back to the car, retracing the route again. We get out by the bart station, question a few construction workers and rewalk the Ohlone Pathway, but again come up empty. 

As I am packing him back into the car I see a nanny that I noticed in Totland, walking along the pathway. I said "Were you just at Totland?" to which she responds "Si" and I think, oh crap, this isn't going to go well. "Did you see a monkey?" this while I am acting out monkey. "Si Si!" "You did!! Where?" "A house, with, uh, like zees" (and she points to a fence and some branches.) I confirm that the house is on Virginia and attempt to thank her by using my only-in-Rosarito Spanish. Meaning to express my sheer gratitude I attempted to say I owe you a margarita senorita! Sadly, in my excitement I think what I actually said was something closer to the margarita is for me, thank you sir!

I drive back slowly, looking for a house with trees and a fence. Where do I find monkey? At a house with a fence made out of branches! That nanny was a genius. I really do owe her a margarita, and an apology for calling her a man.