I thought exposing the woman’s lie would settle everything. But when the manager arrived, the employee’s terrified reaction made me realize more was at stake than a few broken bottles.
“They’ll hire any idiot these days!” the woman screamed at the young supermarket employee standing beside a cart surrounded by broken bottles.
He had Down syndrome, and he looked absolutely terrified.
The woman demanded that someone fetch the manager.
I volunteered, and she actually smiled at me.
She thought I was on her side.
But when I returned with the manager, she stopped smiling. And what happened afterward revealed something far more upsetting than a few broken bottles.
My name is Jennifer, and that afternoon, my daughter Sasha and I had popped into the supermarket near our house for a few things.
“Mom, can I get a juice today? Please?”
“Sure. Go pick one. Don’t wander off.”
She’d barely gone when I heard glass smash.
