Sneezing, cinnamon and handbags

This morning I dropped by to attend a ribbon cutting ceremony before going to work. It was one of those fast deals where everyone scattered after sipping a thimble sized cup of punch and nibbling a chicken salad sandwich sans the crust.

I had about 30 mins to kill before work, so I stopped at a dime store to see if they had any 'big dolls with hair.' My cousin Lee's oldest girl Jordan will be 4 this weekend and wants a "big baby doll with hair that I can brush." Man they are hard to find! But I found some in the store and decided to come back after work when I had more time to inspect each one and figure out which was the one for Jordan.

As I was walking through the store (why is the toy section of any store at the very back?) I passed a Christmas display--Santas, Snowmen, Angels, Trees...the whole North Pole... and a big display of cinnamon scented pine cones...which sent me into a series of sneezing. I'm not talking 1 or 2 sneezes, I'm talking 10 or more. Non-stop eye-watering, nose dripping, breath stealing sneezing! I couldn't find a tissue in my handbag. The tissues were on the other side of the store and I knew I would never make it without wiping my eyes and blowing my nose.

I was on the verge of using my sleeve to wipe my nose like some street urchin when a little black lady appeared and said, "Oh you poor chile. Let me see if I got a Kleenex?"

I tried to say thank you but sneezed. Through watery eyes, I watched her open the biggest handbag I've ever seen and move stuff around until she pulled out a small box of tissue. She offered it to me and I quickly snatched out two and blew my nose. She patted my arm and told me to take some more. I thanked her and quickly beat a trail out of the store.

Now after taking an allergy pill, my sinuses, eyes and nose are happy. As I sit here thinking about what happen I realize that I will never again make fun of a person with a huge handbag...because you never know when one may come to your rescue.