It was, if I remember correctly, a scene that played out for real on the morning that I was officially offered a better full-time job almost two weeks ago.
There I was — flying pretty high after getting word by phone of the job offer just moments before after a long period of un- and under-employment — about to get into our car in a parking lot after getting a few things at a health food store.
A health food store … what kind of image does that put into your mind when you think of it? The people who shop there are usually looking for the best ingredients, all natural, organic, designed by nature to help you live a longer and healthier life, right?
There I was — on top of the world at the moment after being told that I had a good-paying job again — unlocking the car door and about ready to put my bag of items in, and I noticed a woman with a toddler in her arms not far behind me walking up to the parking area. They were looking at something on the ground, and I looked down to see what they were looking at on the paved asphalt.
There it was, something perfectly round with tips on both sides. It had to be made of rubber, I thought, because it wasn’t making a sound as it rolled on its side like a large coin — around and around it goes, I thought, and where it would stop no one knows.
It rolled around and around, along the dried oil, transmission fluid and coolant stains that had surely been stepped upon by dirty shoes for who knows how long. And then, the round rubber object finally came to a rest with one tip resting on the ground.
What was it? Was it a child’s pacifier? And if it was, surely the woman wouldn’t pick it up after it had rolled on the ground for a while and give it back to the toddler … would she?
As I got into the driver’s seat of my car, I watched the woman’s next move. It was a pacifier, and she didn’t hand it back to the child. Oh, no. Instead, she placed the tip straight into the child’s mouth, and the toddler was happy to start sucking on it again.
My gag reflex just about took over right then and there as I closed the car door, asking out loud once the door was closed, “Lady, what the **** is wrong with your head?”
It happened at a parking lot outside a health food store. But just because it happened there doesn’t mean the parking lot is all natural and organic as well.
The things you can see …
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A View From The Middle (Class) 