COLD PRICKLIES!!!

       Map and I were in town this morning, so we stopped at a grocery and loaded up with foods for the shelter babies and children, and then we dropped them off. The gatekeeper told us Joey wasn't there, but Miss Lillian was…

       We proceeded toward the kitchen, and we met the tall touchy-feely social worker in the hall. "You know Miss Lillian's back there," he cautioned.

       "Yes," I whined. I really wanted to give my sacks to him for delivery, but it wouldn't be right to ask. He squeezed my shoulder encouragingly.

       When Map and I walked into the dining room, Miss Lillian gave us a very blank look. I tried to convey our mission across the serving shelf, but she wasn't receptive, so I pushed through the door into the kitchen.

       I explained to her that the babies had a sack of their own food last week and asked if it was still there. "They're not allowed to have their own food," she snarled.

       She did give me a sack to put the foods in… and she seemed to agree that the vegetarian children might need some yogurt and fruit… but maybe I just imagined that. While I labeled a sack for the babies and put the other kid-friendly foods in the fridge, Lillian blew off my whole project with how SHE DOES THINGS around there, and how NOBODY gets a special food because everybody else would want the same. The fact that I was providing for the wee ones didn't phase her at all. "Those babies are almost two!"

       You know, they're one. You can say "going on two," but one is one, and I told her, "They don't need sausages!"

       I left with "At least they'll get some kid foods tomorrow, and she followed up with how they'd get some today, implying (I think) that she'd give out the foods. She added something about the babies' mother feeling thankful, and I said, "She's a sweet little thing." Lillian's mouth twisted to one side, her brows came up, and the eye roll was intense. That was all.

       As we left, poor Map said, "Boy, you can feel the hostility in there! Why didn't you wait until tomorrow to bring that stuff?"

       "Because we're in town today, the children are also hungry on Saturdays, and it's not about me." (I accept that sometimes it is about doing things my way…)