Thursday, May 31, 2007

It Happened at the Bank...

“The happiness of life is made up of minute fractions - the little, soon-forgotten charities of a kiss or smile, a kind look, a heart-felt compliment, and the countless infinitesimals of pleasurable and genial feeling” -Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Warning: weak stomached people should just stop right here. Okay? Really.

You've been warned.


So... It started innocently enough: a trip to the bank.

We stood in line, my DD and I. The teller said, "May I help you?" and we moved to the window. Then DD tugged on my shirt and said, "Do they have a bathroom?" and made a face that I recognized far too well.

I said, "Do you feel like you need to throw up?"

She nodded.

Dear God in heaven.

I turned to the teller. "Do you have a bathroom? She needs to throw up."

The woman says, "I'll need to escort her." and scrambles for her keys.

Too late.

Bleh. DD presses a hand over her mouth as if that will hold it in. She grabs my hand to help.

Nothing in the world would have helped. She spewed gallons all over herself, the floor, it splashed on the walls, on me, my shoes, my (now broken in but formerly BRAND NEW) shirt... heave. Breath. Heave again. Breath. Heave some more. Will it ever stop? And will she ever stop holding my hand under the flow??

No, I don't have a weak stomach at all, but that tested it something fierce.

The teller says she has the door to the bathroom open. Oh. Well. Thanks.

The worst part? DD had STRAWBERRIES for breakfast. Yeah. You get the picture, right?

The best part? People are very kind.

When I came out of the bathroom, one of the men in line was on his knees helping a teller clean up the mess (I felt horrible -- I should have been the one to clean it, but by the time I was done with the DD and myself, they were almost finished). One of the ladies in line said she had a shirt in her car and I could have it if I needed one. The tellers were terribly sweet and understanding.

I took DD home and put her in bed. Gram (my mom) watched her while I finished my errands. I picked up a potted chrysanthemum from the store (it was gorgeous with these neat curly petals and white with bright pink tips -- I really wanted to keep it for myself, but I resisted the temptation) and brought it to the bank. They were surprised to see me again and really grateful that I'd brought the plant.

And that made me think: wouldn't anyone have done something for these wonderful ladies who cleaned up my DD's bright pink vomit? Wouldn't you?

DH suggested that I also send a thank you card to the manager to bring the tellers service-above-the-call-of-duty to her attention. I will. It's true, isn't it, that people are quick to complain but so very slow to commend good behavior?

So, I challenge all of you: look for good behavior, great service, a nice smile, a helpful employee and then TELL THEIR MANAGER. It'll really make their day.

So... my QOTD has to be this: have you ever had anything happen in public that utterly mortified you? C'mon, share it and make me feel better. You're among friends.

Have a fantastic day!

5 comments:

Ceri Hebert said...

Oh, been there, done that. My husband and I were going into a restaurant (of all places) with my daughter when she was about 2. As we passed a table to be seated, DD threw up. How embarrassing! The patron she threw up on was my sister in las (is that a good thing? I guess so). Everyone was really nice there too.

Sylvia Dickey Smith said...

Oh how familiar your story was! And I agree -- rewarding kind action is noteworthy, and flower-worthy! Thanks for passing on kindness!

My similar experience was with me as the subject. I was near forty and pregnant AGAIN. My youngest was 11 years old and this pregnancy was a total surprise. After three kids and so many years, we thought we'd figured out what 'made babies' but by the fifth month and me still spewing all day long, we decided we must have been wrong.

But finally the spewing slowed down to a more reasonable frequency, and stir-crazy, I ventured out to the grocery store. Sure enough, while walking down an aisle, up came my breakfast. I remember what I wore, oh how things like that stand out in your mind -- because this was 30 years ago! The red, tent style dress with a zipper up the front, soon was coated in "you know what" and so was my basket. I was so mortified, I think I just walked out of the store.

We are in the middle of a lightening storm, so I'm ending this sick tale for now!

Syl

anno said...

Happened to me once in a very fancy restaurant -- white linen tablecloths, velvet covered chairs -- it was awful. Sounds to me like your teller was wonderful, though.

Hope DD feels better soon!

Anonymous said...

Oh hugs, that is awful, but yes people can be SO kind, it's amazing. That was really wonderful of you to bring them the plant, too. I bet they were surprised.

Shauna said...

I laughed! I found this post just too funny! The way you wrote it was brilliant. I feel awful for your daughter, though. I hope she's feeling better.

So, embarrassing public moments. Yeah, I have a few. My middle son was shopping with my DH when they ran across this African American man from my church. Not something you see often around here. My son looked at the man and exclaimed,
"Whoa! You have a brown face! I LIKE IT!"

It was so funny and the guy totally understood the facination. Kids are so innocent.