In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Isn’t Your Face Red.”
When was the last time you were embarrassed? How do you react to embarrassment?
I cannot recently recall a time of an embarrassing moment. However, I felt embarrassed for a young couple with a two-year-old daughter named Shelby.
I was enjoying an excellent salad at a local restaurant recently with my iPad in one hand and a fork in the other when a young couple sat in the booth ahead of me.
The young man and woman held the hands of their daughter, around the age of two or three. She was a cute little girl, with golden yellow hair in braided pigtails on each side of her head. At the ends of her braided pigtails, she had yellow and orange thin ribbons hanging below the ends of her braided pigtails.
She along with her parents smiled as they were seated in the booth ahead of me. She was a daddy’s girl as she sat next to him. She turns around, wave hello to me and I returned the wave and smiled. I asked her name and in a clear child tone, she said “Shelby.” My name is Shelby.
I said, I’m Marty. She said hello Mr. Marty.
The mother tells Shelby, “sit down and let the man, eat.” I wave towards the mother its ok, as I was leaving. As I turned off my iPad and began to gather my things. Shelby asks, How old are you, Mr. Marty. I tell her my age, and I ask, how old are you, Shelby.
Shelby holds up two fingers, and with a clear and distinctive voice says. I’m two years old. I smile and chuckle a little and before I turned to step away from the booth. I recognize she has captured the attention of several customers seated nearby.
Another couple was being seated across from Shelby table when she turned and noticed the two. The young lady with her young man, both nodded and waved to Shelby as they sat down. They were a large couple in their early twenties.
Shelby returned the wave with a hearty hello. The woman asked Shelby. What is your name?. Her response came as a complete shock.
With an inquisitive look on her face, Shelby, told the woman her name and asked, “are you pregnant?
I immediately turned out of my booth and began walking away. As I stood, I could see everyone had raised eyebrows and the look of shock and embarrassment for the parents of Shelby. Shelby sat silently waiting for an answer.
Shelby seeing me leave yelled, “goodbye Mr. Marty. I quickly turn and said “goodbye Shelby.” I guess the upside to this moment of shock is that no one laughed.
As I walked through the exit door, I could not determined who I was more embarrassed for, Shelby’s Parents or the young couple.