I regret to inform you that I did not attend Joe’s game tonight. Did he make a catch like the gal below? Doesn’t matter; I wasn’t there.
Nope, because we were basically out of food I had to swallow my guilt and ditch him. “I’m sorry, kid,” I told Joe. “How about I buy you some of those croissants you love?”
I took our three girls with me rather than send them to the ballpark with Daddy for him to watch. He liked that I did that for him and to tell you the truth, he likes me. (I’m so lucky.)
Anyway.
We were standing in line with our overflowing cart. The girls were chattering over the one serving of French Vanilla ice cream I’d bought them—passing the spoon from sister to sister and giggling all the while.
“I have three girls,” a man piped up suddenly behind me.
“Really?” I smiled. “I call these three my little hens.”
He harrumphed and didn’t say much to that. In a moment, though, he continued. “Well, mine are older now. One is a teacher, one just graduated college and the third is a sophomore.”
I murmured my approval to this list of his, and when he said the word “teacher” Cate exclaimed, “My mommy was a teacher! She taught French!”
I wondered if he’d heard her because again, he grew silent. I had turned back to my cart when he blurted, “We taught them Suzuki violin!”
“Oh, that’s a great program,” I said enthusiastically. “I don’t have the time to learn an instrument, alas…”
“Well, it’s all about the parenting,” he retorted.
Grandpa was competing a little with you…you should have blurted that you also have a couple roosters playing ball and a few hens in heaven, you’d have him beat for sure! haha!
I meant to say a few “chicks” in Heaven.
(Oh, I wish we could go back and edit these comments sometimes!)
Having children is always an opening for people to say something to you. If you’re alone, no one says a thing, but if you have kids, people usually make some comment. And it is usually in the checkout line!
What is it about checkout lines? This is the type of exchange that could only happen on a checkout line!
Kiss the little hens for me!
Funny guy! Maybe he was one of those guys like Saint Peter, who, not knowing what to say, said….(remember when Peter was on the mountain during the Transfiguration? I love that passage). People are always proceeding to say something when they don’t know what to say. Including myself!
But speaking of check out lines, I agree – it’s always when conversation is struck up, especially when the kids are there. Don’t you love it when you have three kids with you – only half your brood, and only one third of mine – and someone comments that you sure have your hands full?!?! I inwardly smile and contemplate whether I should really shock ’em with the full revelation or just let the understatement silently pass. My response depends on my mood :). But I usually go for the shock because I love to see their mouths drop…..
love reading your blog!
Teresa
Ha! I missed this one the other day. 🙂 Strange encounters, indeed!