I was exhausted. I had had a busy morning, and I was on my way home with a van load of groceries when I remembered that I needed to stop by the bank and deposit some checks.
I parked the van and walked slowly to the entrance. I felt the weight of my nine month pregnant body with each step I took. I was half way there when a car whipped by me and parked. I heard the door slam and the clop, clop, clop of high heeled boots coming fast.
“Is this person seriously going to run ahead of the pregnant woman and beat her to the line?” I wondered. I was in a hurry (not that anyone could tell by my pace) because I only had a few minutes to get home and unload my groceries before it was time to pick up my kids. I got to the door, and making up my mind, stood and held it for Ms. Cloppity Clop to go in ahead of me. “I’m really slow these days; you go on,” I motioned her in. She protested briefly but then went ahead of me.
I stood in line behind her and waited and waited. She didn’t have her account number or driver’s license. After she searched in vain through her purse, I stifled a laugh when she pulled out her phone and began calling not one but two different people in search of her information. My generous gesture was really backfiring this time. Well, I could stand there no longer because I was in too much pain. There was no one behind me, so I walked over to the banker and asked if I could wait in his chair. He was very kind.
The instant I sat down people started filing in the bank. Now there was a line of people behind poor Ms. Cloppity Clop, who was on the phone. I pondered what to do. I wasn’t going to have time to wait at the end of the long line that had formed. I had all but decided to go home and deposit my checks another day when the banker said, “You wait right here. I’ll get another teller for you.”
A teller appeared from the back. He looked over at me and asked how he could help me, but the lady that was next in line walked right up, not realizing he was talking to me. I didn’t move from my chair at first, but the teller insisted, and the other woman backed off. I went up, deposited my checks, and then as I turned to walk back out of the bank, I noticed the looks on the faces of the people in line. They all thought I had cut in line!
I’m always amazed, but isn’t it true that women tend to be ruder to the pregnant lady than men? Most people are nice…but when you do get a real jerk, it seems like it’s more often a woman. Maybe they’ve never been pregnant before?
I think people in general are self-centered whether to a pregnant woman or not. There is no discrimination.
And who cares if they thought you cut in line? What they think is not your problem 😉 I once heard “What people think of you is none of your business.” I love it. Because it’s not.
Yea, Mari, I agree with that line, “What people think of you is none of your business.” Wish we could all remember that and not worry about it.
Sometimes I MAKE myself let other people go ahead of me when I am in a hurry just to “slow me down”. Gives me a good lesson on patience. But…..I might have failed that lesson if what happened to you happened to me LOL! Everybody in that place should have been catering to a 9 month pregnant lady!!!
I wish people didn’t always assume the worst. I’m glad that you were actually in the correct place in line after all!
so glad that you were able to be helped and that the bank was so willing to accommodate you!
it seems the day of the “delicate condition” is dead… im sorry other people are so thoughtless, and when they do think, they are judgemental. 🙁 good for you, keeping your spirits up, esther! I’m certain you laughed about it when you got outside…and hey, if you DID cut in line (obviously you didnt) then they should have been understanding!! they dont have to carry dead weight on the front of their body all day,their center of balance isnt thrown off so that standing gets grueling on their feet… they dont have to pee every 10 minutes regardless of water-intake… they dont forget what they were doing 25 seconds ago just because they walked into another room… empathy is dead, and that is sad. i for one, would have LET you cut in front of me, line or no line, whether you were there first or not! 🙂
You are so cute with your preggy belly. I think it is awesome that your needs were attended to by the bank. No matter what the crowd thought, your giving initially was rewarded. Let them (the onlookers) figure out that concept.
Oh, my goodness, I can so sympathize with this. I don’t want to stand up at all, in these last four weeks of pregnancy, much less wait in line…well, it’s a good story, anyway, isn’t it?
Well, at least the bank was looking out for you! The other people are over it by now I’m sure.
Thanks for asking about Cort. He is doing much better. I’ll be glad when he can stop taking so many meds though! The steroids are making him quite the angry and demanding 2 year old!
That is funny! Glad someone was nice enough to get you another teller! 🙂
Oh, I have a lot of those kinds of stories, too! All you can do is laugh. I didn’t receive a lot of kind gestures when I was pregnant, and if I did, they were almost always from men. Having been there before, if I see a pregnant lady, I do my best to help her anyway that I can. Especially by letting her cut in line at the bathroom! I remember that being the worst.
You look so beautiful pregnant. I was a giant whale!
Maybe they thought you snuck a beach ball up there, LOL.
And my mom and dad used to say :I don’t care what they say as long as they’re not paying my bills.”
‘Nuff said.
You should have poured water on the floor at your feet! That would have gotten their attention!
Okay, I really get the part that even if you never see those people again, you don’t want them to think of you as a “line-cutter”. Because I tend to obsess over what people may or may not think about me, I know your frustration. But at the same time, we all know how awful that last month is and you deserved the chair and a little help. After all, pregnancy is actually a legally recognized disability. And they have cooties and are not very nice, anyway.
I’m glad someone at the bank decided to take care of you. I can believe how rude people are nowadays.
But, you look darling!
Cheers!
I guess I am old fashion in that I hold doors, let pregnant ladies go ahead and make a clear path for the mom with the three crying toddlers. It just seems to me that I am the one with the extra time/hands! i am glad the Bank was so accommodating!
At 9 months pregnant, I can’t say I would have been so kind. 😉
Glad you maintained your cool.
Aww! Sorry! Sounds like you have a great bank though. I took my girls out to Starbucks this week, and offered the svelte, professional-looking lady behind us to go first. She took me up on it! I mean, I did offer, and I didn’t really mind (I was at STARBUCKS!!! Whoot whoot!), but I think I would have let the mom with the kids go first unless I was seriously late for something. People these days just need to slow down I think!
Haha! 🙂 Just found your blog via the HSBA Pos–congrats on winning the “Funniest Blog,” btw! 😉 You deserve it. 😀
~Lucia @ Umbrella Girl
http://www.one-beloved.blogspot.com
Hi! I spent my first pregnancy living offshore in the Caribbean. I was so impressed by the special treatment I got with my big belly. Every supermarket had special parking for those expecting. Any establishment with line (especially banks) automatically moved you to the front of the line. The people were so kind they wouldn’t accept “no” for an answer. Reality set in when I came back to the States. Now in my third pregnancy I have no expectations of kindness from strangers.
Stopping by from the HHH and was “looking” around! How cute you are with your bump! Not much longer now, huh? Wow – at the bank! Years and years ago I worked in retail and I was amazed DAILY at the rude, disrepectful, inconsiderate behaviors of adults I saw!
Okay, I couldn’t help but smile when you mentioned the name Mrs. Cloppity-Clop, ha, ha!
At any rate, I’m sorry that you got nasty stares at the bank. Like someone else said, it’s a shame when people assume the worst. However, seeing that you are obviously pregnant, I’m hoping that some of the people in the line figured-out what was really going-on. If not, shame on them!
By the way, your photograph in this picture looks too cute! 🙂 When will it be time for the Little Mr. or Little Miss to come on out and greet everyone? 🙂
Thank goodness for the thoughtful teller! I do try not to assume the worst about people…but sometimes I admit, I catch myself in the blame game.