Yesterday afternoon my son and I had a "date". We went to Target and of course he "hurt" himself and so the only thing that would make him feel better was a new toy. So seeing that it's his birthday next week I gave in and got him a Ninja Turtle toy and made our way around the store. He and I laughed all the way around the store. He is usually the kid who yells in the store, but yesterday he was really good. We checked out all the Halloween decorations and made our way to the checkout. Even the cashier commented on how well behaved he was and gave him a sticker.
When we got to the car I asked if he wanted to go to McDonald's and have some lunch with me. Of course that was a definite YES! We went inside to eat which made him so excited because the Nintendo games were inside.
When we got inside there was quite the line so we made our way to the end of it and patiently waited our turn. Brian was clinging to my leg, and telling me he loved me which caught the attention of the gentleman in front of me. He kept smiling at us and saying how cute it was and how well behaved Brian was. I politely said "Thank You" and we went about our waiting. We made idle chitchat to pass the time and of course Brian was the center of attention.
Brian caught the eyes of a sweet little girl who was standing behind us who was about the same age and they were doing the little kid flirt thing which I thought was adorable. And the gentleman in front of us saw a girl across the restaurant who was wearing nothing but fishnet stockings and a long shirt. I looked at Brian and said "If you ever bring home a girl like that I will beat you." And he laughed and said "I'm gonna!" Which of course made the gentleman in front of us laugh again.
As the line moved we made our way up to order and then proceeded to wait again for our food to be made (or microwaved). The gentleman in front of us turned to me and said "They grow up so fast, that's why I keep smiling at you and your boy, this age is so sweet, enjoy it." I replied "I love it." He pulled out his phone and showed me a photo of a very handsome boy in his cap and gown at his high school graduation. He said "This is my oldest." "He's very handsome." I said He replied "He would've been 21....." My heart sank. He continued "He was killed in a car accident on October 30th." I told him how sorry I was for his loss as he put his phone away. He thanked me and smiled. I didn't know what else to say, I wasn't expecting that.
He was so upbeat and playful with Brian and I and even picking on the girl with the fishnet stockings....I guess it just never dawned on me that something so tragic could've happened to this man. I stood there staring at him wishing there was something I do for him, and yet at the same moment I saw the strength in this man that he is still going on with his life, I'm sure it's the hardest thing in the world, but he's doing it.
We both got our food and went to our tables and I sat with Brian and played but I was so heartbroken for that man, who was sitting 3 tables away, all alone and missing his son. I wanted to go over and say something to him, but I didn't know him and I didn't know what to say. I just felt so bad for him.
He finished before we did. He got up told us to have a nice lunch, and we smiled and said thank you and wished him the same and off he went. Brian and I finished our lunch and we left and headed home. I called my mom and told her what happened. There was a reason I met that man, maybe he put everything into perspective for me. Maybe watching Brian made him happy if only for a moment. I don't know what the reason, but he definitely made an impact and I really hope that he and his family are doing ok. I can't imagine losing a child. I know I couldn't handle it. I would just crumble to pieces. I give that man and his family all the credit in the world for going on with their lives. God bless them.
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