(Depending on my mood at the moment!)
Today (early October), I was waiting in line at a local Schnuck's (St. Louis, MO area grocery store chain) pharmacy behind a little boy - less than 5 yrs old - and his mother.
It soon became apparent to me that this little man had visited one too many large Halloween stores, such as Johnny Brock's or Spirit.
He turned around, looked at me, and oh-so-gently, touched my forearm. I moved my head to look down at him, and he JUMPED out of his skin, and stammered, "HE...HE... HELLO, SIR!"
I answered my curious little fan with, "Hello, little buddy! What's up?"
At that point, his mother turned, and told him, "Oh no, don't touch (me)!" I told her that I know that I don't look like the average Ladue, MO resident, and that I understand his curiosity.
In a tone which indicated that he meant no harm at all, the little boy rationalized his behavior by answering his mother, "Oh, I had to check to see if he is real! It IS Halloween, you know!"
I know I must have cackled at his innocent observation. The kid thought I was a Halloween prop!
But then again, in the middle of July, in a mall, when I had my beard bleached white, a little girl asked her mother, "Isn't that Santie Claus?" (When kids asked me / their parents if I was "Santa Claus", they thought it was much more formal and polite to call me "SantIE Claus" rather than "SantA Claus"!)
Her mother seemed very embarrassed, and said, "Oh, no! He is just some ordinary white man! Leave him alone!"
The little girl had enough of her mother's disobedience and she jerked her hand back from her mother's grasp, pointed her finger in her mother's face, and said smartly, "Watch your mouth, young lady! You never know when he's watching!"
I had to absolutely cackle! Then, I bent down and gave the brave little lady a quick squeeze and a peck on her forehead! That inspirational individual should have turned 19 this year, and for YEARS after our meeting, SWORE that she met Santie Claus in a St. Louis Mall one hot July afternoon!!😂😂
- Auckland
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