Secrets Shared in Checkout Line 6

This morning I went to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things. The Wal-Mart in town is interesting for two reasons. Firstly, I believe we hold some sort of record for the largest proportion of handicapped parking spaces. Secondly, it is apparently the highlight of our small town and is uncommonly busy at 10:30 a.m. As a result, I found myself looking at decently long lines to pay for my few purchases. After a quick scan, I decided that Checkout #6 seemed to be my best bet. I walked over and found myself in line behind an Amish mother and her daughter.

Although this certainly isn't Lancaster County, it's not uncommon to see a horse and carriage tethered to a post outside the grocerty store or Wal-Mart and an Amish family shopping inside. Both mother and daughter were dressed in traditional clothes, including black bonnets, capes, and shoes. The daughter was sitting in the shopping cart seat and must have been about two years old. She stared back at me with a serious, round face as her mother placed various items on the conveyor belt. I noticed one of her blue cotton pant legs was pulled up a bit, revealing a slightly scratched knee. I smiled to myself, wondering what sorts of adventures brought about that particular scrape. Seeing my smile, the girl's grey-blue eyes lit up and her mouth broke into a contageous grin. For the next thirty seconds or so we shared various facial expressions and silent giggles, enjoying the moment as if some great secret was being shared between just the two of us. The mother turned to check on her daughter and, as if on cue, she resumed her docile and contemplative demeanor. As the woman pushed the cart away, the child, with a twinkle in her eye, sent one last grin my way.

"Grown-ups never understand anything for themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them."
"Language is the source of misunderstandings."

from The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery