lji topic .5
“Excuse me, ma’am?”
The small, high voice - the sort that almost exclusively belongs to children under 10 years of age - broke into Carolyn’s self-containment and for a moment, she felt a vague irritation. It dissipated rapidly as she realized the young child could have no way of knowing she’d been caught up in introspection and reluctant for any interruptions.
Carolyn looked down and saw a young girl, probably about 7 if she were made to guess (though she was no expert when it came to assessing children’s ages), with dark hair and deep brown eyes wearing a black coat with red piping. The garment was in good repair but obviously well-worn and a bit big on the child, quite possibly a hand-me-down from an older sibling or other relative. The girl’s expression was serious and polite.
Now a bit curious, Carolyn asked her, “Yes, what can I do for you?” The girl responded with, “Well, I need help to reach the……” Her voice trailed off until Carolyn could no longer hear her words.
She knelt down to be more eye level with the girl and said, “What is it, child? What can I help you with?”
The girl took a big breath and then said in kind of a rush, “My mum’s at the checkout and wants me to bring her some fruit cocktail, but I can’t reach it.” She sounded concerned and vaguely sad at the same time, with her brow furrowed and her mouth a grave line.
Carolyn felt her heart ache a bit that the child should be so worried about a small matter, and she smiled broadly and told her, “Well we can certainly fix that!” She turned to the shelves and saw the assorted fruit cocktail cans on the second shelf from the top, certainly much too high for a slight girl to be able to grab on her own. She pointed to a popular brand and asked her, “Will this kind do? Did you need one or two cans?”
The girl’s face broke out into a smile of relief as she spoke up again, this time more volubly, “Oh yes ma’am, that kind is fine, and just one can, please!” Carolyn lifted one from the shelf and handed it over to her gently. The girl smiled again, this time with even more joy, and exclaimed “Thanks ever so much!” as she was already turning to hurry off to rejoin her mom.
Carolyn called after her, “You’re very welcome,” but what she was really thinking to herself was “no, sweet child, thank you!”
In the middle of a time where her patience and tolerance had been worn nearly threadbare by a regular onslaught of careless and aggressive drivers, slacking coworkers, forgetful bosses, and rudeness galore from fellow shoppers during this holiday season, she’d been ready to believe goodness and kind treatment to others really might disappear and dry up altogether. The sweet earnestness and polite words of the small girl had given her reason for more optimism than she could recently remember, and though she couldn’t see it, her own smile came close to rivaling the girl’s in warmth and happiness.
The small, high voice - the sort that almost exclusively belongs to children under 10 years of age - broke into Carolyn’s self-containment and for a moment, she felt a vague irritation. It dissipated rapidly as she realized the young child could have no way of knowing she’d been caught up in introspection and reluctant for any interruptions.
Carolyn looked down and saw a young girl, probably about 7 if she were made to guess (though she was no expert when it came to assessing children’s ages), with dark hair and deep brown eyes wearing a black coat with red piping. The garment was in good repair but obviously well-worn and a bit big on the child, quite possibly a hand-me-down from an older sibling or other relative. The girl’s expression was serious and polite.
Now a bit curious, Carolyn asked her, “Yes, what can I do for you?” The girl responded with, “Well, I need help to reach the……” Her voice trailed off until Carolyn could no longer hear her words.
She knelt down to be more eye level with the girl and said, “What is it, child? What can I help you with?”
The girl took a big breath and then said in kind of a rush, “My mum’s at the checkout and wants me to bring her some fruit cocktail, but I can’t reach it.” She sounded concerned and vaguely sad at the same time, with her brow furrowed and her mouth a grave line.
Carolyn felt her heart ache a bit that the child should be so worried about a small matter, and she smiled broadly and told her, “Well we can certainly fix that!” She turned to the shelves and saw the assorted fruit cocktail cans on the second shelf from the top, certainly much too high for a slight girl to be able to grab on her own. She pointed to a popular brand and asked her, “Will this kind do? Did you need one or two cans?”
The girl’s face broke out into a smile of relief as she spoke up again, this time more volubly, “Oh yes ma’am, that kind is fine, and just one can, please!” Carolyn lifted one from the shelf and handed it over to her gently. The girl smiled again, this time with even more joy, and exclaimed “Thanks ever so much!” as she was already turning to hurry off to rejoin her mom.
Carolyn called after her, “You’re very welcome,” but what she was really thinking to herself was “no, sweet child, thank you!”
In the middle of a time where her patience and tolerance had been worn nearly threadbare by a regular onslaught of careless and aggressive drivers, slacking coworkers, forgetful bosses, and rudeness galore from fellow shoppers during this holiday season, she’d been ready to believe goodness and kind treatment to others really might disappear and dry up altogether. The sweet earnestness and polite words of the small girl had given her reason for more optimism than she could recently remember, and though she couldn’t see it, her own smile came close to rivaling the girl’s in warmth and happiness.