Socks

He was with his Mom and Dad. I noticed him because as soon as I came out of the hallway, he let out a yelp. We had had to take the industrial lift to the second floor of a Tesco Extra because the only customer one had broken down. We wended our way through the back stage of Tesco where we met workers who hauled and lifted, moved and arranged, sorted and priced. It's a whole 'nother world back there, and a friendly one at that.

After exiting the elevator we headed through some swinging doors, turned by a display of pink bras that were made for breasts of enormous proportions, and suddenly an exited sound erupted from someone. I looked and saw him, he was in a wheelchair being pushed by his Dad, his mother was looking at socks. And looking at socks like it was an incredibly serious matter too! He would be called 'significantly disabled' or 'multihandicapped' but even so he recognized that there was someone else in a wheelchair and he was excited.

I waved to him and said, 'I get excited when I see other people in wheelchairs too.' He nodded, knowing. I said, 'It feels less lonely.' Again he let out a yelp. This guy understood and was enjoying our conversation. I say conversation even though he said nothing in words. He said much in tone, and his eyes expressed volumes and his smile, well, it was huge.

We said goodbye and he made a couple of noises which I took to be a 'wish you well'. I never saw another person in the store in a wheelchair but I carried him in my mind because, he's right' it is a little less lonely ... when there are at least two.