On a very hot Melbourne day....with the temperature expected to climb above the 40 mark....we had decided to see a film at the Nova in Carlton.
Our Grandchild was with us....and it was a special treat for her. We were going on a bus....(something she finds very exciting)....we were going to have lunch at a place of her choosing..(also very exciting) ...and we would spend lots of time browsing in the bookshops...(this was very, very exciting)
All went according to plan.... the bus was on time....and I joined the long queue to buy the movie tickets. Eliza and her Grandfather went into Borders Bookstore to start their adventure....
I knew they would be down in the children's section, so with tickets in hand I made my way slowly through the vast array of books and magazines on offer....and it was then I thought I heard the sound of a dog yelping in pain.
I stood quietly and listened for it again..... nothing.
A big display of newly published Penguins caught my eye, and as I was making my way towards it, I heard the sound again....closer now
I stood at the bookshelf marvelling at all the old classics ....most of which I'd read over the years...(and some I'd wished I had)....when I heard it again...quite loud... and this time very near.
I looked round startled and said to a well dressed woman sitting on a couch nearby ...."Did you hear tha" ....
I didn't get to finish the sentence before she yelled....."P..s off you f...ing b.tch!" and the yowl of a dog in pain came from her lips......
I turned and moved quickly away from the scene....I knew instantly she had Tourette Syndrome, but never having been confronted by it before I was shocked and frightened.......
"Look Nana.....look at all these lovely books we've found"......my Grandchild's voice, so happy and excited.
My husband looked at me...questioningly. "You OK?" ..... I nodded
Later as we moved out of the shop I looked over to the couch near the classic Penquins....
She wasn't there.....
6 comments:
Ooo-- that's awkward. I don't think I've ever encountered anyone with Tourette, but these days it could be difficult to say. I often hear people flagrantly using foul language in a very loud manner, but I don't think that is usually anything to do with the syndrome. But an encounter like yours could be very disquieting.
So true Lee...it has occupied my mind since returning home. My reaction to it was also a surprise as I never expected it to affect me the way it did. We never know until we meet a situation head on just what the outcome will be. A quivering mass of jelly was not on my agenda that day !
Those with Tourettes syndrome are harmless except to the senses I suppose. The first time I experienced a person with TS I was 19 and with my husband in an afternoon showing of a movie in a theater. We thought he was drunk. I didn't realize until years later that TS was his condition. I felt very upset at his behavior at the time but realized later he probably never got to go to the movies. They asked him to leave that day.
I've known one person with TS. There is medication today to help the symptoms.
It is a bit unnerving since we don't know what's going on at the time.
Great post, WD.
Thanks Teresa....great to have your comment
Sorry to hear about this White Dove. It's always unsettling and upsetting when something happens like that out of the blue. I hope it didn't spoil the remainder of your day...although that sort of encounter does stay with you for quite a while.
Lesley
No Lesley ...I was OK...just so thankful that none of us were sufferers. Afterwards I felt so sad for the woman and her family, knowing that it was an involuntary thing and it was nothing personal...and that it was something she had to live with everyday
Post a Comment