Stuff Strangers Tell Me: Turned Around in My Spirit

Stuff Strangers Tell Me is a series where I just write down exactly what strangers tell me.

*the following dialogue is 100% real from the best I can recall. Occurred Sunday, September 20, 6:23 PM CST.

Setting:

in line at the grocery store

Scene:

a woman with a baby checking out in front of me

Players

Cashier: mid-50s woman with a small greying hair puff

Bagger: teenage bagger with long braids

Customer: early 40s woman looking tired with eyeliner all the way around her eyes with a baby with a full head of hair in the baby basket.

Me: (pausing my headphones)

Customer: of the baby “Well, he’s deaf and autistic so that’s part of the reason why he’s crying. He wants to be sitting up so he can see.”

Cashier: “Well, the important thing is that’s he’s human.”

Me: (unpausing my headphones to take deep breaths until it’s my turn). it’s my turn--takes off headphones

Customer: “He’s the best little baby in the world.”

Cashier: “Of course, well, make sure to get him sitting up as soon as you can.”

MY TURN

Cashier: “Do you have a Kroger Plus card?”

ME: (types in number)

Cashier: “Kids are intuitive. My daughter was like that when she was a baby. Kids can read people and they know if it’s unsafe. My daughter had that so severely that I had to take her to counseling. She was insulting to strangers sometimes because she refused to interact with them.

Luckily, her counselor was religious and he said she had the gift of discernment and now she’s a counselor. She has seen some stuff. She’s even witnessed a couple possessions. Ohhh, she has seen some stuff. She’s even had little kids come to her in the same way that she was. It [not sure if she mean the discernment or a demon] left her when she was a teenager and then, it came back a couple years ago . . .

But kids know when something’s not right. I saved a child from being kidnapped a couple years ago. The Lord turned me around in my spirit. This little girl was crying and holding this man’s hand, and I went over and asked if I could help.

He said, ‘I’m trying to help her find her Mommy,’ and I said, ‘I work here. I’ll take it from here.’ He said, ‘No, I’ll do it,’ so I said, ‘No,’ and I took that baby from him. When I got her, she squeezed my hand and that’s how I knew I did the right thing., and I said, ‘Don’t worry sweetheart. You’re safe now. Let’s find your Mama.’

It messed me up for a while. What if I had missed it? But the Lord turned me around in my spirit.

Here’s your receipt.”