Part 2: It Was a Long Time, One Kind, Smiling Purple Hair-Streaker

Still reeling from that pleasant encounter with a stranger, A Day In the Sweet Life of Val Thevictorian, Small Town Celebrity was about to get better as I entered Walmart to begin my shopping.

No, I didn't simply find what I was looking for. Nor was the betterness due to seeing that same complimenter on the soda aisle, who smiled and said, "Hello again." Nope. I had everything I needed, and was headed towards the front, when I made another connection near the corn dog freezer bin.

A gal came out of the candy/condiments aisle and turned toward the front. She glanced at me, continued on, turned around, continued, turned around, and stopped.

"Thevictorian, isn't it?"

"Yes. That's me!"

"I KNEW I recognized you! Do you remember ME?"

"I'm thinking MANDY..." [not actual name]

"YES! You remembered!"

"Gosh, that was in the old building! It had to be 20 years ago. I always remember the face. Sometimes not the name. I had a hundred kids a day, for 28 years. So sometimes I forget. I'm retired now."

"I'm working here. Not for Walmart exactly. Over in the salon. I've been here for eight years."

"Eight years? That's great. These days, so many people don't stay long at one job."

"I have two little boys. One is about to start pre-school."

"Oh, that will devastate you, dropping him off the first time!"

"I know! My other one is three and a half. The doctor thinks he might be autistic. He's very high-functioning, but he doesn't talk. He'll say MOM a hundred times a day, though."

"When he gets in school, they'll work with him. And I'm sure you are already."

"Yeah. When the doctor told me, I didn't want to hear it. But my friend who works in daycare said, 'The doctor is right. I'm around a lot of kids.' So that made me accept it. It takes him a long time to warm up to people. But the newest lady with our at-home program met him once, and he wanted to go home with her!"

"Well, I think my youngest is on the spectrum. He doesn't really care about helping people, or show any interest in them. He's turned out okay. Do you ever watch Jersey Shore?"

"Not often."

"Me neither, but when I start, I can't stop. Do you know J-Wow?"

"Yes! People are always telling me I look like her."

"You DO! Anyway, her son is like that, nonverbal. Her husband (before they got divorced) said there was nothing wrong with him."

"Yeah, I was like that too. But now I see it."

"Now that you know, you can learn how to help him with it."

"That's what my friend says. She tells me all the time, 'Of course he's not going to talk if you don't stop answering for him all the time!' She's right. I do that. I'm working on it. Hey! It was really good to see you."

"Yeah, maybe in another 20 years, we can run into each other again!"

"Ha ha! Yeah. I'd better get back."

"Okay. Nice talking to you." 

Of course I remembered her. She was my student during my first year there. Very smart. Good with math. Mature for her age. Not such a great home life. A take-charge kind of kid. And now here she was, an adult with purple-streaked hair. It looked good. I would have no qualms about letting her work on my lovely lady-mullet. Her boys have a good mom, who will work to bring out the best in them.

Time flies when you're teaching kids.