My adult children seem to think that I walk too naively through life. They keep telling me I have lived life as a couple, and now, I need to learn life as a single. These three believe that when I am out in the world, I will forget to pay attention to my surroundings and won’t ask for help if I need it. They are always asking where I am, where I am going, and where I have been. They worry when I don’t pick up my phone, fret when I don’t give them details, and fuss when they know I am going somewhere on my own.
My children don’t need to know everything.
On this errand day, I was on my way to return TV equipment and when I walked in the clean, bright office, I was their only customer. Standing at the service window, when the customer rep talked, I shifted my weight and raised my leg to lean in closer.
That’s when it happened.
Underneath the service counter in this office, decorative vertical “beams” were installed with spaces between each one. When I lifted my leg and leaned in, the lower part of my raised leg slipped in between those wood beams.
Now, I was stuck.
Seriously, how does this happen! One second, I was standing at the counter, and the next thing I know, I am part of the counter! I didn’t panic, not a first. I glanced at the customer service employee and he was clicking away. Meanwhile, I am being held hostage and he doesn’t even know. From the chest up, I looked perfectly composed, but underneath that counter, I am fighting for my life, or rather, my leg. I move and shake, I push and pull, all with a smile on my face.
Nothing was working.
For the complete column, see this week’s edition of the Centralia Fireside Guard.
