Wampum

We go to Giant Eagle. We go to apple. We go to orange. We go to yogurt.

Jonah and I have been going to the shop together nearly every day for five years. Sam too before him, or the year when Jonah had service, we kept Sam home because the NCLB influenced school decided that parents of disabled children had no need to enter school grounds, except by appointment.

Today was like any other. Walk down the residential street one half block, then one and a half blocks of commercial street to a small Giant Eagle, and for the last month, push a cart while Jonah shops. A red potato (always one vine tomato). A pineapple (always put back). One apple. One russet potato. And so on. One Juicy Juice box set. One bag of Cheddar popcorn. White Cheese at the deli. Yellow Cheese at the deli. One or two cans of Campbell's Spaghetti Os. One of a (Trix yogurt (Ice Age II themed), Trix or Stonyfield tube yogurt, Dannon candy sprinkles yogurt}, a carton of eggs, a half-gallon of chocolate Silk, a bag of chocolate chip cookies. A box of Friendly's Neapolitan ice cream. A package of Air Heads at the checkout counter.

What made today unusual was that there was a 20-something couple at the tomato, and when Jonah reached in for a tomato, the woman cleared him off with her forearm. When they moved away she made a point of talking to her companion about "children". I said "My son is autistic. He's doing pretty good shopping." The woman's reply was "You shouldn't bring him in here." I watched her for a moment, the angry face and all, and said, "I see. You have issues." Her companion started cursing, telling me "Back off, Chief", which was odd. I've never, ever been called "Chief". I waited and I let them move away, keeping myself, and the cart, between them and Jonah, and also Grace.

Grace was amazed that someone could be so mean to Jonah. The shoppers around us and the vegetable clerk were uniformly supportive, but that was our blog against disablism event of the day. I'm still considering the possibility that they are even worse off, with what ever their children/casual-contact/instant-hostility disorder is, than Jonah, who is generally happy, except when he isn't.