Comshaw
VAGITARIAN
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2000
- Posts
- 12,002
I use Safeway pharmacy for my prescriptions, that way I can do my shopping and pick them up all at one time. I was there this afternoon and when I got to the pharmacy counter there was a line (go figure huh?). When I arrived, there was one person at the counter and three more in line ahead of me. The one at the counter was having some kind of difficulty so the wait stretched out.
The person in front of me was a young mother with two boys. One looked to be about 5 or 6. The other couldn't have been more than two. The two-year-old was being a monster. His mom put him in her cart to corral him and he threw a fit wanting her to hold him. She picked him up and he immediately wanted down. As soon as his feet hit the floor he was gone up one of the aisles. She ran him down and brought him back kicking and screaming. She put him down and tried to get his older brother to keep him corraled. You can figure how well that worked. The little one dashed away with brother in hot pursuit and mom right behind. She caught up, grabbed up the younger one, took hold of the older one and hustled them back to her place in line.
The line moved very slowly. It seemed the other two people ahead of us also had problems. I'd guess it took us 15 minutes for her to get to the counter all the while trying to keep the younger corraled and keep the older one out of the aisleway (he had a habit of standing in the middle and only moving when someone asked him to). My hearing isn't all that good but when young mom got to the counter she was trying to tell the lady behind the counter birthdates over her little monster yowling so I heard them. One was 1950 the other 1951. I assumed she was there to pick up prescriptions for grandparents.
The lady behind the counter told the young mom the price. Young mom reaches into her bag and rummages around, then pats her pockets, then goes back to the bag and rummages around again.
Finally a stricken look filled her face and I heard her say, "I must have left it in the car. I'll have to go get it and come back."
Now the time my kids were that age is a loooong way behind me. Even my grandson at that age was a decade and a half ago. But the memories are fresh of juggling two young children while trying to get something done, and then finding out just before you get it done that all the effort was for naught and you were going to have to do it all over again. Been there, done that. I felt so bad for her. I would have offered to help, but I couldn't think of anything I could do for her in such a situation.
Have you run into a situation like that? One you've been through and then watched as it unfolded for someone else? This is the stuff that makes a story, or at a minimum a spice for a larger story.
Comshaw
The person in front of me was a young mother with two boys. One looked to be about 5 or 6. The other couldn't have been more than two. The two-year-old was being a monster. His mom put him in her cart to corral him and he threw a fit wanting her to hold him. She picked him up and he immediately wanted down. As soon as his feet hit the floor he was gone up one of the aisles. She ran him down and brought him back kicking and screaming. She put him down and tried to get his older brother to keep him corraled. You can figure how well that worked. The little one dashed away with brother in hot pursuit and mom right behind. She caught up, grabbed up the younger one, took hold of the older one and hustled them back to her place in line.
The line moved very slowly. It seemed the other two people ahead of us also had problems. I'd guess it took us 15 minutes for her to get to the counter all the while trying to keep the younger corraled and keep the older one out of the aisleway (he had a habit of standing in the middle and only moving when someone asked him to). My hearing isn't all that good but when young mom got to the counter she was trying to tell the lady behind the counter birthdates over her little monster yowling so I heard them. One was 1950 the other 1951. I assumed she was there to pick up prescriptions for grandparents.
The lady behind the counter told the young mom the price. Young mom reaches into her bag and rummages around, then pats her pockets, then goes back to the bag and rummages around again.
Finally a stricken look filled her face and I heard her say, "I must have left it in the car. I'll have to go get it and come back."
Now the time my kids were that age is a loooong way behind me. Even my grandson at that age was a decade and a half ago. But the memories are fresh of juggling two young children while trying to get something done, and then finding out just before you get it done that all the effort was for naught and you were going to have to do it all over again. Been there, done that. I felt so bad for her. I would have offered to help, but I couldn't think of anything I could do for her in such a situation.
Have you run into a situation like that? One you've been through and then watched as it unfolded for someone else? This is the stuff that makes a story, or at a minimum a spice for a larger story.
Comshaw
