Hold Comments About Pregnancy
Dear Ann Landers: I’m pregnant (overdue, actually) and have almost given up on going outside or answering the phone in order to avoid listening to people’s stupid comments. I’m writing in the hope that just one pregnant woman might be spared.
Pregnant women are anxious to have their baby, especially once it’s past the due date. Phone calls from people who say, “I didn’t expect you to answer the phone. I was sure you’d be in the hospital by now,” are annoying. And please don’t phone every day - if the woman thinks it’s important for you to know when the baby arrives, she will call you.
Comments about her size are NOT welcome. She knows how she looks and doesn’t appreciate being kidded about it. Remarks such as “You really are huge. Are you sure it’s not twins?” will not make her day.
Please print my letter, and tell these people to knock it off. - A Reader in Canada
Dear Reader: Here’s your letter, which will be applauded by females all over the North American continent. Thanks for writing.
Dear Ann Landers: The enclosed letter to the editor is from my local newspaper, the Greensboro, N.C., News & Record. I hope you will print it and let the world know about this unsung heroine. - Anthony in Greensboro
Dear Anthony: Thank you for a lovely story. Here it is:
“The Harris Teeter grocery store on High Point Road will be closing soon. This store serves over 400 senior citizens who live within walking distance.
“What prompted me to write is one special lady, Patsy Curl. She is a cashier at Harris Teeter and has a smile for everyone who goes through her checkout line. I visited the store this morning on the way to work. While standing in the checkout line, I was thinking about the store closing and wondering how the residents in this area were going to manage.
“After waiting about five minutes, I started focusing on an elderly gentleman who was at the checkout, putting items back. He didn’t have enough money to pay for all of the items in his cart. He would give Ms. Curl an item to take off of his receipt, and she would say, ‘You can’t put that back, you need that,’ and then she would choose another item to take off.
“I thought, ‘Boy, she sure does have a lot of patience,’ and kept wishing she’d hurry up because I had to get to the office. But what she did next warmed my heart. She looked at the old gentleman and said, ‘I don’t know what else to put back. You need all of this.’
“Just as I was going into my purse to give him some money, she opened the drawer under her register and took out money from her own wallet and put it with his so he would have enough. Now I ask you, how many times do you see that? I felt ashamed because I didn’t act more quickly.
“When it got to be my turn, I commented on how wonderful I thought she was for doing that. She smiled and said she had to because he needed those groceries and she couldn’t let him go home without them.
“It lifted my spirits to see someone so generous. I thought, ‘Do these people know what they have here?’ That woman is a gem.
“I want to say to Ms. Curl, thank you for all the years of friendly service. We are going to miss you in our community.”