Disabled Men Can Jump

My blog has been very heavy over the last few days. I recognize that. It has also been very 'text heavy' ... which is apparently the new way of saying 'long'. Today, let's take a breather from all that shall we? I worked at home yesterday so Joe and I took the opportunity to go out to lunch. I signed off from work and we headed out the door. We picked up a couple of the best Samosas in the world and then went along to our favourite tea place where we ate, chatted and watched people.

Out of the blue Joe said something he never says, 'Do you want to go shopping?' He's not a shopper, I am.  I didn't have to be asked twice. We needed to get presents for two fresh minted family members, a great niece and a great nephew, which are being brought into the family via adoption. We had an idea of what to get, knew where to get it, and headed happily off in search.

We bought something kind of big, its three feet tall, we looked at it and considered how to ship something that is an odd size. I spotted a clerk, I'd seen her there before and she was always so damn pleasant. I said, 'I'd like to ask you something, but before I do, let me tell you that I chose to ask you because you always seem so pleasant and I want to ask a favour.' She looked at me intrigued and said, 'Well, it never hurts to ask.'

I pointed at the item and said, "Is there any way we can get that wrapped and boxed up so that we can take it directly to a post office and ship it." She looked at it saying, 'Hmmm, it is an odd shape isn't it?' Then, a pause, 'Will you give me a moment to see if we can do this?' I told her that we'd give her all the time she needed. She got out a measuring tape, took down the dimensions and then headed to the basement. She came up with two cardboard boxes folded up. She smiled and said, 'With some bubble wrap and some ingenuity, I think it can be done.' I thanked her for her help.

She was busy doing it when another clerk came along and said that there was a customer in the store that had a question that fitted the boxer uppers expertise. Would she mind? They struck a bargain, he would take over boxing the item, she would go help the other customer. She said to him, quietly, referring to me, 'Its nice to help out customers like that.' I was stunned and sat back in my chair, quickly taking offense, she looked up and saw my face and realized what she had said and what I understood it to mean. As she walked by me, she leaned down and said, "In this store everyone would know that 'like that' meant 'polite' ... we don't get many people who say 'please' or 'thank you'."

Oh.

OK.

I've been in a wheelchair for four years and I can still quickly jump to a conclusion.