Thread: Judging a book by it's cover.

The Army plonked us down on a small patch in the middle of nowhere. No school, shop, Church or even pavements...let alone an accesible HIVE or a Mess.

The nearest shop is 3 miles away and does an unjustifiably roaring trade because there is then nowhere else for yet more miles. It is a dingy hole, stuffed with tins of baked beans at outrageously inflated prices and on it's sell by date bread. The two tiny aisles are not wide enough for more than one person at a time, and the whole sorry shopping experience is watched over by a grumpy old woman who views anyone uder 80 with a suspicious eye.

Every now and again I have to brave it. I brace myself... drive 12 miles to the nearest Sainsbury's or 3 miles to the shop? If it's a fags/bread/milk/chocolate emergency, the 'shop' wins.

So I found myself there.

Jammed between the freezer and the almost out of date bread and blocking my path to the much needed milk, were three youths. The kind that make you nervous. Heavily tattooed/caps on backwards/loud mouthed. They were facing away from me inspecting the biscuits and discussing what sounded like a drunken night out. I stood patiently waiting for them to move for some minutes. At last one glanced my way. 'Oh I am terribly sorry, we didn't see you there!' he said flattening himself against the stand. 'Make way lads!'. As I passed his companions they both muttered an apologetic 'sorry' with one saying 'can you get past? it's a bit tight in here isn't it?'.

They were behind me in the queue to pay and as they followed me out of the shop spotted our dogs in the car. I ended up getting the dogs out for them to have a cuddle as they excitedly asked me about them. 'What a beauty! Do you have to walk her miles?'.

I drove away smiling. Last time I judge a book by it's cover!

oooh i'm guilty of that one too! I got on a bus with my eldest who was 4 and my 2 week old in his buggy just after a c section. There were loads of seats aaiable but obviously with the buggy i could only go in the bit where they fold up. A lad of about 14/15 was sat there with headphones on just staring into space. I was a bit snotty and asked him if he could move so i could get the buggy in. He took out his headphones and was full of apologies, lifted the seats that need to be lifted for me and sat my eldest down on a safe seat as the bus had by now started moving and he was wobbling all over the place. I felt extremely guilty for assuming he was just another ignorant little scrote but i've got to say it was really nice to be wrong!