Raising Some Trouble

(My grandparents are waiting to transition into long term care, so they move to an area that is closer to us in the meantime. My grandma is blind and is showing signs of dementia, while my grandfather can’t walk and has just beaten skin cancer. Due to this, they need help getting groceries, so my mom takes my grandma out. I accompany them on this trip, and we are waiting in line to buy our groceries when the following happens.)

Cashier: *in another lane* “I can take anyone on express now.”

(We don’t move, since we have a lot of groceries. I notice the lady behind us looking at our cart and then at the cashier who called out, but think nothing of it at first.)

Woman: *behind us* “Excuse me, she said she was opening up her lane for groceries.”

Mom: “Oh, that was only for express though.”

Woman: “Yeah, you don’t have that many groceries. She would probably take you.”

(My mom and I look at our overflowing cart, then back at the woman, wondering if she’s serious. My mom decides to go the nice way about this.)

Mom: “Thanks for pointing that out to us, but we’re here now, and it’ll be too much to walk my mom over there.”

Woman: “Well, she seems fine to me.”

Mom: *throwing kindness out the window, grabs my grandma’s walking cane* “See this? Do you know what it means?

Woman: “Yes, I certainly do. My grandmother was blind and she raised me by herself. She would also run and clean a full household. How dare you assume that your own mother can’t do anything? I was only trying to help!”

(The woman keeps on ranting on how my mom is rude and that we should move, etc. I try to get her to back off, but she won’t stop. Finally, my grandma steps in.)

Grandma: “I can’t hear like I used to; what’s this fuss?”

(Before my mom can answer, the woman steps in, trying to sweet-talk her.)

Woman: “Hi there, so sorry for this. I know what you’re going through. My grandmother was blind as well, and she raised me all by herself.”

(While my mom and I are rolling our eyes, my grandma looks at her the best she can.)

Grandma: “Well, she didn’t do a very good job.”

(As my mom and I laughed, the woman turned red. She kept on trying to rant, but we just bought our groceries and left. Kudos to my grandma, though; she’s approaching 80 and still hasn’t lost her sense of humour.)