Wal-Mart- Cambridge, MA- Friday morning
The store had been open for a couple of hours when Aeryn finally emerged from the stockroom. She had no idea how long it had been, really, but she knew it felt like forever and she was pretty sure there had never been a greater waste of her time.
She got halfway down the aisle when she heard something that sounded like sniffling, and turned the corner to see where it was coming from. At the end of the aisle of toys was a little boy of about four years old, looking like he wanted to cry but didn't actually want to. "Are you lost?" Aeryn asked him, stepping closer.
He nodded, but inched a little closer to the shelves.
"Are you here with your mother?" she guessed.
Another nod, and some more inching.
"Here. I'll take you to find her." When he didn't budge, she assured him, "I won't bite."
"'m not supposed to go with strangers," he said, holding onto the shelf like he could hold onto it in case she tried to take him. Nice.
Aeryn sighed, squatting down beside him. "My name's Aeryn," she said, hoping that meant she wasn't a stranger now. "And I'm going to tell you exactly what we're going to do, so you're not surprised. If I deviate from that at all, you can start screaming for help. All right?"
He paused, probably trying to process what 'deviate' meant, the nodded.
"Good," she said. "We're going to head up towards the front of the store, to the customer service desk, and there we're going to page your mother and I'll wait there with her until she arrives. Is that okay with you?" If it wasn't, she had no idea what she was going to do yet, but she had learned a thing or two about customer service in the last year.
Another nod, and he let go of the shelf.
Aeryn stood, reaching for his hand, which he took a little hesitantly. Nevertheless, she walked slowly with him towards the front of the store, and he'd always move a little closer to her whenever they passed another person, sometimes bumping into her leg. When she got him to the front of the store, she sat him on the customer service counter and asked, "Do you know your mother's name?"
"Sarah," he said shyly.
She paged Sarah to come to customer service and claim her child, and waited with him till she finally showed. For what it was worth, Sarah did look a little panicked at having lost her kid, though she forgot to thank Aeryn before heading off. The little boy whose name she never got did wave at her over his mother's shoulder, though.
When Aeryn's first thought was that she'd never let her child get that far away from her like that, it started worrying her a little that she was already thinking that way.
Regardless, after work she ended up taking some time to go around the shopping center to look for a second job, just to cushion the income a little. Just for more preparation.
She got halfway down the aisle when she heard something that sounded like sniffling, and turned the corner to see where it was coming from. At the end of the aisle of toys was a little boy of about four years old, looking like he wanted to cry but didn't actually want to. "Are you lost?" Aeryn asked him, stepping closer.
He nodded, but inched a little closer to the shelves.
"Are you here with your mother?" she guessed.
Another nod, and some more inching.
"Here. I'll take you to find her." When he didn't budge, she assured him, "I won't bite."
"'m not supposed to go with strangers," he said, holding onto the shelf like he could hold onto it in case she tried to take him. Nice.
Aeryn sighed, squatting down beside him. "My name's Aeryn," she said, hoping that meant she wasn't a stranger now. "And I'm going to tell you exactly what we're going to do, so you're not surprised. If I deviate from that at all, you can start screaming for help. All right?"
He paused, probably trying to process what 'deviate' meant, the nodded.
"Good," she said. "We're going to head up towards the front of the store, to the customer service desk, and there we're going to page your mother and I'll wait there with her until she arrives. Is that okay with you?" If it wasn't, she had no idea what she was going to do yet, but she had learned a thing or two about customer service in the last year.
Another nod, and he let go of the shelf.
Aeryn stood, reaching for his hand, which he took a little hesitantly. Nevertheless, she walked slowly with him towards the front of the store, and he'd always move a little closer to her whenever they passed another person, sometimes bumping into her leg. When she got him to the front of the store, she sat him on the customer service counter and asked, "Do you know your mother's name?"
"Sarah," he said shyly.
She paged Sarah to come to customer service and claim her child, and waited with him till she finally showed. For what it was worth, Sarah did look a little panicked at having lost her kid, though she forgot to thank Aeryn before heading off. The little boy whose name she never got did wave at her over his mother's shoulder, though.
When Aeryn's first thought was that she'd never let her child get that far away from her like that, it started worrying her a little that she was already thinking that way.
Regardless, after work she ended up taking some time to go around the shopping center to look for a second job, just to cushion the income a little. Just for more preparation.