Odd Experience

Technically this could go under Grocery Adventures II, but it was so strange that at first I was thrown and then I was better able to reflect on what had happened.

I was about to make lasagna for  this evening's dinner, and as my little helper was washing her hands I was laying out the materials we would need. When I went to get the noodles, I saw that we only had four whole wheat lasagna noodles left. So a quick glance at the clock told me there was time for a fast run to Shoprite, with little browsing I could be back and forth in 35 minutes, get the lasagna in the oven and still be home for the first wave of school returnees.

The shopping was uneventful (though I  noted many carts laden as mine was- baby in the front and 3-4 year old in the back!), and we rapidly made our way to the checkout line. I randomly chose a line that had one woman who appeared to be finishing up. I pulled in behind her, and my little back seat carter proudly started to unload her cardboard and plastic enrobed seat mates.  We had about seven items total. The woman, who looked to be in her early to mid seventies, smiled at my daughter and chuckled as she watched her, and said "I think she's going to line everything up!"

I smiled back and we chatted about nothing while she received her change. She turned to the proud four year old who had done an excellent job unloading the cart, and handed her two dollars, and said:
"You get two because you are big girl, and this one is for your brother."

She then handed the baby a dollar bill. First, I was dumbstruck. Then I told her "Thank you very much, but we cannot accept this."
She replied: "These kids need to take it so that when they see an old lady they will know that she is nice."

I protested again, and she smiled, and turned to leave the store. I thought about going up to her in the parking lot when I realized that she needed us to accept this gift.  Not necessarily for the reason she said, but perhaps she is feeling something today (or maybe many days) maybe associated with her age, or just had this desire to make the kids happy. Neither of them understand the value of a dollar-in fact the 4 year old offered it to me on the way out "if you need more dollars Mommy, you can have from me if you don't have enough."

The crazy thing is this Shoprite is in the vicinity of 4 different senior housing complexes (some assisted, some not), and some of those people seem really old, and look like what you would call an "old lady," but this woman was not.

I was thinking about if she had handed my kid a bag of two dollar candy would I have thought it odd? Probably, because it's excessive, one would suffice (or nothing, but I'm going with the giving), but still not as odd as the money. It was a spur of the moment decision for her, because she gave the singles from the change she received from the cashier.

It also brought up the whole "why do strangers hand things to my kids," issue, but I guess if people are not in this mode of being suspicious about everything, to know to ask,  then maybe  the world has not gone to hell yet.

The cashier put it well after the woman left:

"You don't meet people who are nice for no reason very often."