Taking The Career Ladder To The Back

(I am currently on maternity leave, but I need a few things from the dollar store, so I go to my work with my infant son. While wandering the aisles, I notice a little boy playing on one of the ladders. My coworker continually shoos him off of it, only for him to play on it the second she turns her back. Being fed up with the child’s behaviour and lack of supervision, I pick up the ladder and carry it to the back of the store, my son on my hip. About a minute later, I’m confronted by an old lady.)

Old Lady: “Why did you move the ladder? My grandson was playing on it and having fun! You shouldn’t touch things that aren’t yours!”

Me: “I’m sorry, but I didn’t want to see your grandson get hurt, so I took it to the back.”

Old Lady: “I recognize you; you work here! Why aren’t you in uniform?! Why are you carrying around a baby instead of working?! Does your boss know that you’re playing nanny instead of working?!”

Me: “Ma’am, I usually do work here, yes, but I’m on maternity leave with my son. I’m not ‘nannying’ this baby; he’s my baby! Leave me alone!”

Old Lady: “You don’t get maternity leave! You have to have a real job in order to get maternity leave! Besides, I saw you a few months ago and you weren’t pregnant, liar! I bet you kidnapped that baby from some poor, deserving mother! Give him over!”

(I worked until my 38th week of pregnancy, and I was very visibly pregnant for a long time, enough so that people asked me if I was carrying multiples.)

Me: *holding my son closer and stepping back* “Leave me alone! Don’t touch my child!”

(My manager rushes over at the sound of me yelling, just in time to see the lady grab my son’s arm and pull hard on him to try to take him. This startles him, so he starts crying. I slap the lady’s arm away, and retreat back even further.)

Old Lady: *turning to manager* “Your employee assaulted me and kidnapped this child! Call the police!”

(She continued to try to grab my son, so I went to hide in the back room, where my manager stopped her from following me. She stood outside the back room doors for about ten minutes before the police showed up and took her away. My son was okay, but had a nasty bruise on his arm for about a week from her grabbing him!)