Doing as You Say

My daughter's silence caught my attention as I pulled out of the parking structure. Normally, a little peace and quiet after a trip to the crowded mall would be welcome, but this seemed out of place.

As I inched the car toward the parking lot exit, I stole a glance at my only child. Instead of burying her face in her phone, thumbs dancing across the screen, she was staring hard at the dashboard.

“What's up, kiddo?” I asked casually.

She took her time in replying. Finally, she said, “I saw what you did, Mom.”

“What do you mean, you saw what I did?” I asked, mentally reviewing the afternoon. As far as I could tell, I had done little to embarrass her.

“That thing, with the woman who came up to the register,” she said. “You know, that one who tried to get the clerk's attention and didn't say 'excuse me' or anything, but you stopped the clerk and asked her to help that woman.”

“Okay, now I remember,” thinking back to how annoyed I was that this other customer. “What about it?”

“Well,” my daughter said, “You, like, you made a point to make sure she was taken care of, even though she was totally rude. And you didn't seem mad that she didn't say 'thank you' or “kiss my butt' afterwards.”

“Don't say 'kiss my butt,'” I warned automatically.

“Sorry.” But then she softened. “But Mom, I just wanted to say, well...”

I braked at the red light and turned to her. She was looking right at me, her eyes actually shimmering with tears.

“I get it now,” she whispered. “All that stuff you nag me about. The manners and stuff. You made me proud today.”

Word Count: 297