Welcome to the first Tall-Tale Tuesday tale for 2023. May you meet smiles wherever you go.
World 1
She smiled at the stranger, as she walked by. No reason, just because the sky was blue and she felt at one with the world. He, the stranger, in turn, felt the clouds shift and his problems seemed a bit lighter. He saw the old man struggle with the door and ran to help.
‘Very kind. Thank you, young man!’
‘No problem, sir. No problem at all.’
The old man whistled as he did his shopping. When he reached the cashier, he saw a young mother trying to juggle a crying toddler, a baby and her purse as she searched for her credit card.
‘Hello there,’ the old man said to the toddler. ‘Have you ever seen ears flap?’
The toddler stood still, mid gulp, gazed at the old man, and started to suck his thumb (the toddler not the old man, of course). Taking the silence and stillness as interest, the old man removed his cap with a flourish, revealing a very bald head and two very large ears which, as promised, he twitched and jiggled and wiggled as if he’d suddenly gone demented. The toddler gazed in awe, silent at first and, then, as the ears continued to flap, his little face dissolved into the broadest beam, accompanied by a cheeriest chuckle. The mother looked at the old man, her gratitude clear to see.
‘Thanks, Mister. He’s not usually a grumpy child but he’s tired today. His sister’s been crying all night, keeping us all awake.’
‘No problem. No problem at all. We all get a bit tired and grumpy now and then.’
The young mother headed on her way, laughing again at how her first born’s mood had been changed by the kindness of a stranger.
World 2
She didn’t smile at the stranger. Why should she? She’d had a bad day and didn’t really care to make the effort. He, the stranger, in turn, felt the clouds draw in. He saw the old man struggle with the door but he just walked by. None of his business, was it?
The old man muttered to himself as he did his shopping. No one cares, do they? Here I am, on my own, no one to help. When he reached the cashier, he saw a young mother trying to juggle a crying toddler, a baby and her purse as she searched for her credit card.
He sighed. He remembered when his own son was little. He’d never have acted like that in public. Or would he? The old man used to do a trick with his ears to quieten the boy. Wiggle them and make funny faces. That always made him laugh. He could do that now for this little boy but why bother? No one cared about him, now, so why should he care about them? Even his son didn’t call that much now. Too busy, it seemed. He wished she’d hurry up, though. He was anxious to get home, to get back to his own four walls, his silence. He didn’t need this hassle, this reminder of how other people lived.
Finally, the young mother found her card, paid and struggled out of the shop, screaming toddler in tow, baby in arms, also crying now. It was going to be a long day, she thought, as she wiped away a tear, another long day.
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