Confession of Shame

I haven't yet been run out of town but that may be coming soon now. One less blogger, hmmm, some might like that idea.

All I wanted to do was adjust my arm in my sleeve, you know how sometimes your coat sleeve doesn't drape right and you have to flick your hand around to shift it? That's all I meant to do, and that was completely unconscious. Just one of those things the body does without any awareness in order to find balance.

I didn't notice there was a tiny child standing next to me in front of the counter at Terrace Bagels until I felt the left side of her little face on the back of my hand. I couldn't believe it, as my hand thrashed about in my sleeve I had accidentally slapped a little toddler in the face.

She stared up at me with wide eyes. No tears, thank God. Perhaps she was too scared to cry. No one seemed to notice. I really didn't want to turn to her father and say "Sorry, I accidentally slapped your daughter." To her, I mouthed the words "I'm sorry," but that just freaked her out more.

The girl was speechless until she and her dad left the store, when I heard her say "Daddy, daddy, that... that..."

I never intended to be a menace to Windsor Terrace children when I went out to buy Bagels that morning, it was all just going to be swell and everyone would be happy, because as we all know, sometimes bagels are the key to happiness. God, why did you make me hit the child? Did you laugh? Like I used to laugh and groan when I watched Curb Your Enthusiasm. Beloved *unt...