Grandpa recognized her voice from aisle nine.
He’d tapped his cane toward the sound.
Instead of walking her through the crowded store, he’d called for an employee.
“Lost people shouldn’t have to keep moving,” he explained.
While they waited, Grandpa kept her talking.
She’d described the yellow flowers near produce.
The balloons above checkout.
And the fuzzy unicorn sewn onto her cap.
While they waited, Grandpa kept her talking.
The little girl looked at her father.
“I told Grandpa Joe what everything looked like.” Then she frowned. “He can’t see my unicorn.”
Grandpa smiled. “Tragic, really.”
She giggled.
Her father didn’t.
He was staring at Grandpa’s white cane.
“Tragic, really.”
Five minutes earlier, that cane had apparently told him everything he needed to know about my grandfather.
Now he looked ashamed to even meet Grandpa’s eyes.
“Sir…”
Grandpa waited.
“What I said earlier… was cruel,” the man said.
I coughed to hide a laugh.
The employee didn’t bother hiding hers.
“What I said earlier… was cruel.”
Grandpa shrugged. “I’m blind, not polite enough to lie about it.”
Even the man let out a broken little laugh.
Then his daughter tugged his sleeve.
“Daddy?”
“Yes?”
“Everybody with eyes walked past me.”
The aisle became completely still.
“Everybody with eyes walked past me.”
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She pointed toward Grandpa.
“But he listened.”
The man’s face changed.
No clever comeback could survive that.
He looked down at his daughter.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I was rushing.”
“But he listened.”
He brushed hair away from her damp cheeks.
“I should’ve made sure you were beside me.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck.
Only after holding her did he stand and face Grandpa.
“I should’ve made sure you were beside me.”
“I’m sorry to you too, sir.” His voice was quieter now. “You didn’t deserve what I said.”
Grandpa nodded. “Good.”
The man blinked. “Good?”
“You’ve got five minutes to become less annoying before checkout,” Grandpa added.
