The Library, Wal-Mart, and Random Kindness

This story is a little old, but it is a GREAT read so I am recycling it as a new post here on this blog.

On Wednesday, I waited for my husband, John, to return home so I could go run my errands; however, by the time he arrived home from work at 6:30 p.m., I was too exhausted to go anywhere. Therefore, Thursday I decided to be brave and attempt my errands with all four children tagging along.

We set out for our first stop, the library. As the typical protocol is to be quiet in a library, this looked to be our most harrowing endeavor. Upon arrival in the parking lot, I promptly put four-year old Jeremiah and two-year old Elijah in the double stroller (ensuring that Jeremiah was in the back seat, because whenever Elijah is in the back, he pulls the hair of whoever is in the front). I then got one-month old Hannah situated in the baby-sling and grabbed my purse. With six year-old Noah walking alongside me, I headed into the library.

It was a very successful trip. I did have to say "Shhhhhh" about a hundred times; however, other than that, it was quite uneventful. Each of the boys got a book and a DVD. I got several items I'd requested, and we left in an orderly fashion. I wasn't really feeling prideful (just lucky) so I'm not certain how to explain the "fall" which came next. I guess I just pushed my luck too far.

We arrived at Wal-Mart, and all appeared to be going well; made it through the baby section without incident, and then on the way to the paper products and cleaning section it began. Hannah started fussing, which as is typical for many newborns was a few seconds of pitiful mewling mixed with moments of sheer ticked off SCREAMING. Jeremiah and Elijah took this as their cue to begin pulling as many items as they could off the shelves we passed. Noah was the only bright spot in a very dismal Wal-Mart experience. As I again had Jeremiah and Elijah in the stroller and Hannah in the sling, Noah was pushing the cart and obediently filling it with the items I handed him.

Since all mayhem was breaking out, I had to abandon my efforts to track how much I was spending and make sure that I stayed within my budget. I just threw caution to the wind and got everything on my list hoping the total would not be too shocking. We finally had all the items we needed and proceeded to the checkout.

Now for some reason there were only about two non-express lanes open at this time and there were about six people in line at each of those registers. I took my place in line with Hannah screaming her head off and Jeremiah and Elijah now trying to pocket candy as we passed through the lane. I contemplated trying to nurse Hannah right there in the sling, but determined that the little boy in front of us would see WAY more of me than he needed to, so I instead just kept bouncing Hannah and whispering to her. Finally when we were about three from being checked out, an associate came up to me and said, "I can take you on aisle 12." I hightailed it over there, and Noah and I emptied our cart onto the belt.

After what felt like hours of being in Wal-Mart, the end was in sight. The checker gave me my total. I handed her my coupons and then used a $25 gift card to pay the first part of it. Then I took out my debit card to pay the balance (about $40). I swiped my card and chose credit. It was declined. I swiped it again...declined. At this point I was sweating, Hannah was screaming, Elijah and Jeremiah were tired of trying to shoplift and were now attempting to escape from the stroller. Noah was still behaving WONDERFULLY. I swiped my card again and tried debit. Still no go. I was ready to cry. Much to their credit, the people in line behind me had nothing but sympathy on their faces and not a one of them made an irritated sound. I called John and told him of my plight. He said he'd be there in five minutes with cash to pay the bill.

Just then the shopper at the next register turned to my checker and handed over her credit card. She said, “Put her total on my card.” I was stunned. I don't think she even knew or asked what the total was. She said to me, “I have two kids at home and I have no idea how you're doing this with four.” I asked her to please give me her name and address so I could send her a check. She agreed; however, she didn't know me from Adam so she had no way of knowing that I would really send a check. She paid my bill, with me thanking her profusely, and never blinked an eye. The kids and I left the store and headed for the car.

As we were loading the van, John drove up and my angel of mercy (who just happened to be parked right across from me) got to her car with her purchases. I was able to send John to get cash for her and to talk with her for a few minutes, thanking her over and over again.
The lesson I learned that night: don't go to Wal-Mart with more children than you have arms. Upon arriving home, I checked my bank account online, and sure enough there was PLENTY of money in there. I have no idea why that happened. All I know is that my faith in humanity grew a little that night, when I was the recipient of someone's random kindness and I learned that there is an angel in Franklin named Aimee.

Blog writer's note: That angel in Franklin has now been my dear friend for almost 3 years, and many times over the course of our friendship I have again been the recipient of her random acts of kindess.