Priorities

I had just serviced a 1998 Ford Aerostar for two very good customers, who are also comic book fans. They paid their bill. The three of us then discussed whether the new Giant Size Astonishing X-Men contained new stories or rehashes, out in front of their Aerostar, which was still inside the shop. We heard a woman screaming out insults down the sidewalk on the left, which unfortunately is not a terribly unusual occurrence near my shop. A heavy set woman comes into view, pushing what looks like a combination baby carriage and laundry cart, still screaming, with two small children plodding along beside her. Suddenly, she turns, runs out of sight to the left leaving cart and children in front of my shop. A second heavyset woman runs up from the right, past the children, just in time to meet up with heavyset #1 holding a mop handle. From what little I could decipher from the screaming, heavyset #2 nearly ran over heavyset #1’s child with her car, which she had parked out of sight on the right so as to answer #1’s screams. They’re warming up for a clash of the Titans, with #1’s small children clinging to the cart in wide eyed observation.

I approached from inside the shop with hands out in a calming fashion. The ladies looked up at me hopefully, as they wrestled against each other, mop handle clutched between them. They were beginning to see this incident with mop handle and children as a potentially disastrous no win situation, which is the only reason my interference worked at all. While #1 called for me to get the cops, I talked #2 into backing away while I convinced #1 to release the mop. #2 retreated to her car with #1 still wanting the cops, and started pushing her cart with kids toward #2’s car. I held the cart with kids in place until #2 drove away, trying to talk #1 into remembering her kids, and getting them home, instead of pursuing a street battle.

My reasoning behind this action is I knew #2 wasn’t cruising the streets, looking for kids to run over. #1 probably didn’t have her boy under control, and he darted in front of #2’s car, luckily escaping any mishap. I’ve seen people going by in front of my shop, with kids toddling along just past the crawling stage, allowing them to scoot past driveways and even across the street without holding on to them. #1 hurried off with the kids to seek justice, which I doubt was due or would come by way of Oakland police. Having had children narrowly escape getting hit by cars, I would have done a quick 'Thank You, God' and hugged my kid. I went back into the shop, and took up the cause of Giant Size Astonishing X-Men as a stand alone new book. Just one more story from the Naked City. :)