Skating By

I saw something that caused me a bit of alarm the other day, although it passed. I was out trying to find Christmas presents, and I couldn't pass by the thrift store a block north of my apartment without stopping in to see what old VHS tapes they had. As it turned out, there were four tapes that I decided to buy. An old man was ahead of me in line, and he took his sweet time. When he started arguing with the clerk over a 25 cent discrepancy in the cost of some wrapping paper, I got mad.

That's not even the bit that made me alarmed. While trying to contain my frustration, I was looking around the store from where I was standing. There was this little girl in the store, and I would have given her no more than a glance and as much time's though except for what she was doing. She was roller-skating around the thrift store. I just could not help but worry for the store's wares knowing that she was about.

Making matters worse, she was maneuvering around in the glassware section when I saw her! If such a thing happened in a movie, I would have called it too implausible and rather on the nose, but there it was, very nearly a real life occurrence of a bull in a china shop. A little girl is no bull, but maybe the girl could do more damage. I shook my head at the sight of it, and continued on waiting behind the old man and his penny pinching.

I might have said something or done something about the girl, but of course I tend to avoid confrontation. Moreover, I decided that if she was in that small shop on roller skates, it must have been with the acceptance of the clerk. In that case, I have no interest in the matter. Even if the clerk and ownership were not in favor of it, I am not about to waste my time helping such hapless people or looking after the well-being of their merchandise. I took my tapes and moved on with my life.