Groceries Bring the Crazies
That's probably not very respectful, but it's like I have a crazy old person magnet or something. Probably comes from those years I worked in a mental health facility. I must have picked up the scent.
A waaay long time ago, sometime last summer, I was grocery shopping with my daughter. This is not the special part. We do this weekly. Anyhow, as we were browsing the orange juice selection a (seemingly) kindly old gentleman came up to us and started making silly faces at Isabel. She must have been about two months old and didn't really respond to strangers very well but he looked all happy and I like it when older people get smiley and silly with a baby. It's just right. He asked how old she was and those types of questions. Then he asked if she had a piggy bank. Um...we have a bank account, does that count? He then grabbed my hand and shoved two crumpled dollars in it. Very sweet of him, I know, right? For her piggy bank. I tried to say no thank you but he insisted so I said that was very generous of him and tried to release my hand from his grasp. No dice. He held on to it and then started to ask if I lived in the neighborhood around the store. I said yes, wondering if he needed help or something. Not quite. He nodded and said he probably remembered me from when I was a little girl riding my bike up and down the streets. Um. We had just moved there like, two months ago. No, no, he insisted...he used to sit on his porch and watch all the little girls going by on their bikes and with their friends. He was certain he remembered me because he liked watching little girls especially and always remembered their faces. Always lots of little girls going by.
I left very quickly. Creepy.
A few months ago, maybe about five or six, I was standing in line at the checkout at Wal-Mart, Isabel in her sling as usual. I had like one or two things I was buying and as usual the checkout was taking fooorrreeevverrr. Behind me was an elderly lady who had a cart full of things. Very loudly she started talking to herself, saying things like isn't it always true she gets behind the person who only has one or two things when they know perfectly well they can go to the customer service desk and check out, thereby shortening the wait for her. I pretended she wasn't talking about me because 1)that's passive-aggressive and drives me nuts and 2)I don't know if that's true of Wal-Mart and I just wanted to get out, not wait in another line for three and a half hours. I guess my feigned deafness worked because she stopped. But then she saw Isabel and immediately came up to her and tried to tickle her. While she's in the sling. Gross. I'm trying to be all nice and smiling while at the same time shielding my daughter from this lady's scratchy fingernails. She starts in saying what a cute little boy I have and I said something like, oh thanks, she is a cutie. Evidently that struck a nerve. "Oh. I didn't know they dressed little girls in blue nowadays. You just can't tell with all the gender equality going on." (seriously!) I bit my lip and said the outfit is actually purple and there are little flowers on it. Immediately, "No, it's blue. It looks like a little boy." Um. Ok. My turn to check out now and drop it.
And then recently, another attack of the grocery crazies. Isabel was in her sling as usual and I was trying to get out and get home because everybody was tired and it was a bad time to go shopping...crowded store, new delivery and stocking day, mid-afternoon. I grabbed my yogurt and turned to get out of the overwhelming mess when a little older lady came up and grabbed my elbow (what's with old people and grabbing?). Cooing over Isabel, she seems sweet and Isabel is waving and smiling at her. I smile and say something dumb like oh look she's waving at you (durrr) and turn to go. The lady follows me and grabs my elbow again. Um, okay, more baby time? Sure. She smiles and babbles at Isabel and asks the usual questions of name, age, etc. I answer and agree she's pretty much the prettiest baby in all of the land and she says God bless and I say you too and we turn to go our separate ways....and then she yells out, "Don't you ever leave that baby by herself anywhere! Don't leave her alone!"
Um. Thanks? Is that my Titus 2 encouragement for the day?
A waaay long time ago, sometime last summer, I was grocery shopping with my daughter. This is not the special part. We do this weekly. Anyhow, as we were browsing the orange juice selection a (seemingly) kindly old gentleman came up to us and started making silly faces at Isabel. She must have been about two months old and didn't really respond to strangers very well but he looked all happy and I like it when older people get smiley and silly with a baby. It's just right. He asked how old she was and those types of questions. Then he asked if she had a piggy bank. Um...we have a bank account, does that count? He then grabbed my hand and shoved two crumpled dollars in it. Very sweet of him, I know, right? For her piggy bank. I tried to say no thank you but he insisted so I said that was very generous of him and tried to release my hand from his grasp. No dice. He held on to it and then started to ask if I lived in the neighborhood around the store. I said yes, wondering if he needed help or something. Not quite. He nodded and said he probably remembered me from when I was a little girl riding my bike up and down the streets. Um. We had just moved there like, two months ago. No, no, he insisted...he used to sit on his porch and watch all the little girls going by on their bikes and with their friends. He was certain he remembered me because he liked watching little girls especially and always remembered their faces. Always lots of little girls going by.
I left very quickly. Creepy.
A few months ago, maybe about five or six, I was standing in line at the checkout at Wal-Mart, Isabel in her sling as usual. I had like one or two things I was buying and as usual the checkout was taking fooorrreeevverrr. Behind me was an elderly lady who had a cart full of things. Very loudly she started talking to herself, saying things like isn't it always true she gets behind the person who only has one or two things when they know perfectly well they can go to the customer service desk and check out, thereby shortening the wait for her. I pretended she wasn't talking about me because 1)that's passive-aggressive and drives me nuts and 2)I don't know if that's true of Wal-Mart and I just wanted to get out, not wait in another line for three and a half hours. I guess my feigned deafness worked because she stopped. But then she saw Isabel and immediately came up to her and tried to tickle her. While she's in the sling. Gross. I'm trying to be all nice and smiling while at the same time shielding my daughter from this lady's scratchy fingernails. She starts in saying what a cute little boy I have and I said something like, oh thanks, she is a cutie. Evidently that struck a nerve. "Oh. I didn't know they dressed little girls in blue nowadays. You just can't tell with all the gender equality going on." (seriously!) I bit my lip and said the outfit is actually purple and there are little flowers on it. Immediately, "No, it's blue. It looks like a little boy." Um. Ok. My turn to check out now and drop it.
And then recently, another attack of the grocery crazies. Isabel was in her sling as usual and I was trying to get out and get home because everybody was tired and it was a bad time to go shopping...crowded store, new delivery and stocking day, mid-afternoon. I grabbed my yogurt and turned to get out of the overwhelming mess when a little older lady came up and grabbed my elbow (what's with old people and grabbing?). Cooing over Isabel, she seems sweet and Isabel is waving and smiling at her. I smile and say something dumb like oh look she's waving at you (durrr) and turn to go. The lady follows me and grabs my elbow again. Um, okay, more baby time? Sure. She smiles and babbles at Isabel and asks the usual questions of name, age, etc. I answer and agree she's pretty much the prettiest baby in all of the land and she says God bless and I say you too and we turn to go our separate ways....and then she yells out, "Don't you ever leave that baby by herself anywhere! Don't leave her alone!"
Um. Thanks? Is that my Titus 2 encouragement for the day?