Every time she saw him come in she fled into the stock room. He had two tiny fingers on the one arm that ended at the elbow

I have to confess to some sympathy for her. She might be trying to avoid the embarassment of acting weird to the guy's face. Granted, the properly evolved human wouldn't blink an eye, but I figure I'd be either trying too hard to pretend everything was normal or shamefully flinching.

It's not pretty, but there it is.

In other "see how Connie comes up short on the competent grownup scale" news, my annual review says I should take on more responsibility and work to my potential. Haven't heard that one since high school. Somehow I've stumbled into a job that wants to be a career, and I'm still in "I'm here to get paid, I'm not doing any more than I need to in order to stay in your relatively good graces."

I don't want to be a responsible grown up and apply myself to my job! I want to just do the work, get paid, and go home!

I am back from the post office. Two of you are expecting packages and one of you doesn't know it yet. Mwah ha ha ha!

Hey, you tried to be a grown-up and take more responsibility when you applied for that other position.

Honestly, I'd LOVE it if there were tons of movies/shows like that. Because I'd love the writing work and because(and I hope this doesn't make me sound like a small-b bitch) I get tired of being a Teachable Moment About Difficult Topics when I go where kids are. Not that I *mind*, but it's not new or miraculous to me like it is for you and your kid. ETA: It sounds like Cash's co-worker has contagion anxiety occasioned by the stump...I try to be understanding because it's subconcious mostly. But it's hard to understand for someone like me.

Hey, you tried to be a grown-up and take more responsibility when you applied for that other position.

Right. I wonder if they ever filled that.

I get tired of being a Teachable Moment About Difficult Topics when I go where kids are.

You need a t-shirt: Not a bloody Afterschool Special.

Granted, the properly evolved human wouldn't blink an eye, but I figure I'd be either trying too hard to pretend everything was normal or shamefully flinching.

Practice makes perfect, and that co-worker isn't always going to be able to run. When she can't it's going to be a more uncomfortable situation, perhaps for all concerned.

When I was growing up I had a friend whose dad's arm was deformed. I tried really hard not to stare at it but sometimes I did without realizing it. If he noticed he never said anything. He was a very cool dad.

Yeah, I know! I mean, sometimes it feels good, even though it is an extra responsibility, but sometimes I feel like a certain kind of parent sees me and says "There's one!" and crosses me off, next to Pet Death. Acknowledging contagion anxiety is not the same thing as it being okay to indulge it.

My best friend when I was little had one leg amputated below the knee. I never found out why. I wanted to be handicapped like him. I think my parents handled it fairly well.

Erika, I'm totally with you on not wanting to have to be the one to teach someone else's kids about disability. The worst are when parents come up to you with their kids and ask me to explain my disability to them. It hasn't happened in a while, thank goodness.