“Excuse me, don’t you dare talk to my child without my permission first,” she snapped accusingly. Carl was caught off guard, stammering, “I was just trying to—” She cut him off immediately. “I don’t know you, so don’t speak to my son. Talk only to me,” she said with a cold, hard expression.
Carl nodded, hiding his boiling anger. He’d only been trying to find a peaceful solution to stop the kicking. “I was only trying to help, since clearly talking to you doesn’t do any good,” he replied, his voice full of frustration and surprise. He pulled his hand back and turned forward again, shocked and exasperated by her rudeness.
Carl decided the only option left was to stay polite and keep to himself, choosing to be the bigger person. He took a long, slow breath and closed his eyes, remembering what his mindfulness teacher had taught him about letting go of things he couldn’t control. Just as he finally started to relax and clear his mind—a loud, sharp thud shattered his peace, yanking him back to his frustrating reality.
