Part 2.

So, bags in hand, we walked back through Target.

Josephine had quieted down and was almost, if not, asleep at this point.
Chamblee and Jacob held each of my hands, and, like tiny little soldiers, marched beside me as I went looking for battle.

Not really. 

As I was looking down every aisle, I was thinking, praying, chanting, "Be kind. Be kind. Be kind."
I was terrified of what might come out when I found him. Terrified.

I swept through the cleaning aisles, the beauty aisles, the grocery aisles, then through the toy aisles.
He had to be here. Where is he? 
Then I saw him round the corner.
The cat aisle. Of course he was.
He saw us coming.

"Excuse me?" I said.
Nothing.
So, I got up realll close.
"Excuse me sir?" a little louder.

He never responded, he just stopped and stared.

So I said the only thing I really wanted to say and expected to walk away immediately after.
"What you said to me was hurtful. And rude. And you should be ashamed of yourself."

Then he started.
"I'm sorry. But I just paid $45 for lunch and I had to listen to children in the background the whole time."

I'm sorry, what? 

He told me that if I couldn't control my children, then I should stay at home.
I told him if he didn't want to see or hear children, then he should stay at home.
And the like. 

He should've just stopped at his first two words, because after that I blacked out again. Sort of. It just. made. it worse. I'll spare you the word by word, play by play; not because I don't remember (I will never forget) but because it's pointless. It's embarrassing. It was a spectacle.

A spectacle that ended in six Target employees, four buggys and a few bystanders circled around us. And two wide eyed children right in the middle. (If you must have the play by play, you can probably find me on YouTube under "Mom goes rogue in Target.")  There was no yelling. There were no harsh words. Just my raw, emotional, mama bear response to a jerk in a cat aisle. I did my very best to stay calm. My very, very best. But my best wasn't good enough. I ended up walking away with three moms following behind. One was still jaw dropped, one called him an expletive, and one was clapping. clapping. They were parading me out. I didn't want a parade. I wanted to melt into the floor and straight down a drain. Or straight up karate chop this guy. in the throat. Or wake Josephine up and let her yell all crazy while I followed him around the store.

I wanted to do all of it and I did none of it. I grabbed those sweet little hands up and kissed 'em.
Turned on my heels and headed home.


Until Next Time,
The Guff