The Woman at Target

A few weeks ago I found myself in a Super Target looking for some cheap baking supplies. My new job pays me biweekly, and usually by the second week I'm dirt poor again. I wandered aimlessly down the aisles for about a half an hour because I swear Target sucks me in.

I gathered all of my ingredients, and headed over towards the tupperware department to get a tub for my cupcakes. I was holding two containers in both of my hands comparing prices when I heard wailing and screaming from the next aisle over. I looked up at the woman next to me who had just as a confused face on as I did.

The screaming continued, and it turned into wailing. I dropped the tubs and turned the corner into the aisle in front of me to see a woman flailing her arms and pushing items deep into the shelving. She was throwing things, including her purse and phone while uncontrollably sobbing.

After more thrashing and pushing, she moaned and fell to her knees and buried her face in her palms while her hair covered the rest of her hands.

"I can't do this. I can't take care of her, I cannot afford to live," she cried. "I can't take care of her, I can't take care of myself, I can't take care of my mother, I can't."

A crowd of concerned people circled around the aisle. "I cannot take this, I can't afford my baby, I can't afford myself, I cannot eat, I cannot live, I cannot afford to sleep!"

I didnt know what to do other than look at her. She kept repeating herself, "I cannot take care of my baby, I am useless," she screamed. The baby in the carriage turned around and started crying with his bottom lip swollen from bawling his eyes out.

The baby looked at me quivering, and it made me feel sick and my eyes began to water. The woman looked very ill, and not the drug-type looking ill. I'm pretty sure she was suffering from something terminal and it seemed she was very well alone dealing with everything. I had to walk off, because I knew there was nothing I could do for this woman. I could hear her still crying, and I knew that was her breaking point. As I opened my umbrella outside, I looked in the window to still see her crying on the floor, with an old woman with her hand on the woman's shoulder. At that moment was when she finally couldnt take it anymore. And after bottling it up for so long and seeing she couldnt even afford diapers and baby formula, she finally cracked. I was just unfortunate enough to be there.

(This story is credited to a person named Skella)