An odd thing happened today. I was in front of the drinks, fronting them as I do throughout the day for the dual purpose of showing the product and cooling off a fraction of an amount in the heat. An older woman asks if I can help her so I turn around and see her and two children tailing behind her. I immediately think the little girl looks familiar but I am too busy answering the woman's question to analyze what I am thinking. As soon as they start to walk away, following my instruction to go inside to Returns, it begins to click.
Some years ago I read a few online journals on a regular basis. Even today I still read a few, just daily life accounts of strangers, though strangers that I find interesting for their lifestyle or personal voice. Back in my first years of college though I read one by a woman who had three children, the youngest two born premature with the youngest suffering from continuing health problems and classified as a micropremie. Two or three years ago now though the young girl went to the hospital with complications which the mother blogged about with pictures and the whole lot. Then after an uncharacteristically length of time without a new post I discover that the mother got arrested.
The little girl would get better and then unexpectedly worse with tests indicating septic material. So the hospital staff set up a camera in the girl's room and captured the mother taking fecal matter from the girl's diaper and inserting it into her PIC line. She got arrested then bailed then arrested again for having children near her (not her own though she probably saw them as well since her husband and her parents apparently support her) and will not be serving 25 years. I had completely forgot she had lived in Austin though.
The realization hadn't fully come into focus yet so I watched as they walked away and the little boy just so conveniently turned around for a moment in which time I was able to confirm he was indeed the brother of the little girl. Then I was kicking myself for not paying attention to them to see how they were doing, especially since the last thing I had seen on the little one had been her bruised and unhappy in the hospital, pictures her mother had taken no less.
When I got relieved for break some fifteen minutes later I took it as fate that I ran into them again, the kids now in one of our car carts and made a point to say hello. They both gave shy hellos and I helped their grandmother some more, lingering longer than was absolutely necessary (just making sure Returns did okay by her) just to watch the two siblings talk and play and act like loving family members. Normal kids. It was a relief to see. I can't imagine what the full reality must be, what those kids are told about their mother, what they remember themselves, but they sure seemed to love each other.
Some years ago I read a few online journals on a regular basis. Even today I still read a few, just daily life accounts of strangers, though strangers that I find interesting for their lifestyle or personal voice. Back in my first years of college though I read one by a woman who had three children, the youngest two born premature with the youngest suffering from continuing health problems and classified as a micropremie. Two or three years ago now though the young girl went to the hospital with complications which the mother blogged about with pictures and the whole lot. Then after an uncharacteristically length of time without a new post I discover that the mother got arrested.
The little girl would get better and then unexpectedly worse with tests indicating septic material. So the hospital staff set up a camera in the girl's room and captured the mother taking fecal matter from the girl's diaper and inserting it into her PIC line. She got arrested then bailed then arrested again for having children near her (not her own though she probably saw them as well since her husband and her parents apparently support her) and will not be serving 25 years. I had completely forgot she had lived in Austin though.
The realization hadn't fully come into focus yet so I watched as they walked away and the little boy just so conveniently turned around for a moment in which time I was able to confirm he was indeed the brother of the little girl. Then I was kicking myself for not paying attention to them to see how they were doing, especially since the last thing I had seen on the little one had been her bruised and unhappy in the hospital, pictures her mother had taken no less.
When I got relieved for break some fifteen minutes later I took it as fate that I ran into them again, the kids now in one of our car carts and made a point to say hello. They both gave shy hellos and I helped their grandmother some more, lingering longer than was absolutely necessary (just making sure Returns did okay by her) just to watch the two siblings talk and play and act like loving family members. Normal kids. It was a relief to see. I can't imagine what the full reality must be, what those kids are told about their mother, what they remember themselves, but they sure seemed to love each other.
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