Sam was a little boy, just a toddler, really, when we were waiting for Daddy at the bank. He spotted the candy machines and asked if he could have some, and since I actually had some pocket change I said that he could. The cute little guy wanted to put the nickle in himself, and when the coin tinkled down into the slot, I began to turn the knob since it was too difficult for him to do. Why I didn't notice his little finger still near the cogs, I don't know. Was my vision blocked? Was I looking at something else? Even then I wasn't sure how it happened. When the candy clinked down, Sam pulled away his finger and looked at me with wide, teary eyes. He whimpered a little and I was horrified to see torn flesh and blood at the end of his fingertip! I felt like a horrible mother for letting that happen...no, for DOING it to him, and my stomach did a complete flip-flop as I dealt with the blood and gore.
Amazingly, Sam didn't cry out loud...it was only that little whimper when he saw the damage to his finger. He DID get candy right away, so maybe that helped. I remember wondering if he, being so young, would think that's what always happened when you got candy from a machine. So now, even today, all these years later I still look at candy machines and recall a sweet brown-eyed boy in tears when he got his treat...and a mommy who wasn't paying close enough attention.
I hope these candy machines have been kinder to little fingers.
"Buyer Beware..."
1 comment:
I really love your captions.
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