Do You Work Here?

Yesterday evening I decided to make a quick (I hoped!) trip to Big Lots.  Gary and Andrew were going to join friends for supper and a Wichita Wings soccer game; Andrea went to a friend's house; and so it was Mom and Aaron time.  He was very excited at the prospect of shopping and then going to Burger King - his choice - to get anything that had bacon on it. 

As we were winding up our shopping at Big Lots, we walked toward the cash registers where it was getting pretty crowded in those narrow aisles.  Aaron was barreling through in front of me, with me watching him closely to be sure he didn't overstep his bounds as he often does in a crowd.  There he was, with his eyes big as he looked for something else I might let him buy and with his watch pushed halfway up his arm - and a woman looked right at him.  Their eyes met and she asked him, "Do you work here?" 

This question really flustered him.  He just looked at her - and then nicely told her no.  He turned toward me............and laughed.  He laughed as if she had just told a very funny joke.  To Aaron it really was a very funny joke.  He took a few steps back in my direction and said (loudly), "That was a crazy thing for her to ask!  I don't work here!!!"  

It WAS all too funny at that point.  She was looking at him and I think realization had set in on her face as she smiled.  Aaron was still laughing his deep laugh of disbelief, and I was telling him to hush.  I knew that he might have other comments to loudly make about this woman who thought he worked there.  I was happy when Aaron noticed the fake fire places as we stood in line and so got his mind on something else other than the crazy woman who thought he worked there.

Later, as he and I watched West Virginia play football, he started laughing again.  "Mom, that was really DUMB for that woman to think I worked there!"  So I told him that it was a compliment, that she must have thought he looked responsible, and so forth.  I'm not sure he bought that.  Black and white, factual Aaron will continue to think that this woman was crazy and that it was dumb for her to think that he worked there.  I wonder if she's thinking the same thing?