My sister and I were shopping for groceries at the Wal-Mart near our residence on a normal day in the lives of two millennials getting goods for home when a random encounter took place before our eyes, as we were prepared ourselves for the checkout at the register when this black lady in her aging 50s approached the area for the mini-aisle you glance at as you gather your stuff onto the registry belt for purchase about a suspicious item that sparked her outrage: a blowtorch for grills and whatnot that looked "like a gun".
I filled the belt with our goods as this woman walked alongside an employee, where she pointed out the item hanging on the rack that stood less than five feet from me.
"This one," she said as she took out one copy of the item behind its family of replicas, "This is something the police are gonna point out and do something about - that looks like a gun!" she exclaimed openly as the residents of Skokie and northern Chicago readied their checkouts. I was placing food onto the belt when this annoyed citizen approached the side aisle by me, bitching about how this item that should be taken off the rack entirely, and nothing else. At the time it seemed futile to me, and it still does because of a firing item that is used for cooking and grilling and hopefully not for any other outdoor use (otherwise the user would be getting themselves into a whole heap of useless trouble). Maybe she had a low-life offspring that got into gangs and got themselves shot or some unfortunate incident had occurred at a family barbeque, but for a place that sells all kinds of goods for reasonable purposes to the public, it seemed absolutely stupid to me for this mess to cause a scene when everyone is just going about their routine.
"No one cares," the elderly woman said aloud after the agitated customer left with the employee to see "the manager", leaning on her cart with a smirk of privileged sophistication as she connected with me about the annoyance with the situation - her and along with a few others that sort of just snickered at the situation and moved on.
My sister didn't say much but kind of chuckled at what unfolded, but I couldn't help but wonder why a person would act in such a way...until I encountered her once again in the parking lot, standing by the curb mumbling to herself right outside the Wal-Mart as cars drove on by. I didn't know how to interpret her because I couldn't figure out her dialogue, but she sure as hell wasn't happy with the outcome of her situation, and the air and people of Skokie shall pay the price of some open-mouthed complainer who won't shut up, all in due to some blowtorch that just happens to look "like a gun."
Is there sympathy to be expressed? Mayhap. But to those merely shopping, in the peace and comfort of a Wal-Mart that intends to do no harm to the consumers, not really.
I'm naming her Patty, because I can't think of a better, more suitable name for this individual.
