The Patience of George
An elderly man was pushing a shopping cart through the supermarket. In the front sat a small child, making an unholy racket. As they passed a woman, she overheard the man say calmly:
"It's alright, George, we're nearly done."
A few minutes later, she spotted them again. This time the child was tearing open a bag of chips and throwing them at the elderly man. Once more, she heard him:
"Patience, George—nearly there."
Two aisles over, there they were again. The child was now howling and kicking, smearing snot all over the man’s sweater. Still, his voice stayed steady:
"Not long now, George—we're nearly out of here."
By the checkouts, the chaos had peaked. The child was swearing at strangers and tossing bills out of the man’s wallet. Yet the refrain continued:
"Soon be at the car, George—soon be time to go home. Just a little longer."
On the way out, the woman couldn’t help herself. She approached the elderly man, excused herself, and praised his composure.
"I’ve never seen anyone deal so calmly with their grandson," she said.
The man gave a tired smile.
"Well, thank you, miss. But I’m George. This little brat is called Kevin."
