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Ever wonder about people?

…  and why things happen the “way” they do?

I thought I would share an uncanny story about one day in the life (as the saying goes) where some unexplainable and small wonders happened. I feel this was a supernatural event  but I am no expert so I will leave it up to whoever reads this to draw their own conclusions. I do have my own opinion based as much on psychic impression as well as facts.

I work in a local mall four days a week for about two years now which has allowed me to become acquainted with many other store employees from various locations about the mall. Usually on one day or another at least six of us gather in the food court to share lunch and the “tales of retail” as we like to call them.

On a particular Sunday afternoon between the hours of 11:00 am and noon, several of us were confronted with a tall, strapping, blonde, good looking man who appeared to around the age of 27-30 years old. He had stopped in a variety of stores where he was either browsing or buying and had interaction with some of us. Here are the incidents as they were shared with me by other employees. I left out the actual store names as that bears little influence on what happened and seems unrelated.

1. One employee of a cosmetics store had gone to work with a horrible headache which was getting worse as the hours progressed. She was doing double duty as salesgirl and working the register and was very stressed. There were about seven people in line and “Sean” was at the end of the line with a small purchase. Most of the customers in line were pleasant but one asked the employee if she was not feeling well and of course, the answer was, “I just have a splitting headache.” That was when “Sean” stepped up, reached into his pocket and pulled out a brand new bottle of Excedrin and offered it to the employee. She was grateful and said she would go out to the stockroom for some water and be right back. When she came back, “Sean” was gone and the unopened, sealed bottle was still on the counter with a note written on the back of a store flyer saying: “Keep it – you may need more tomorrow.” It was signed “Sean.”

2. Switch to a sporting goods store scenario: Two employees were setting up a very heavy display of custom wood and wrought iron garden arch. The initial framework had been partially assembled but it was discovered that a few extra tools were needed so employee #1 went off to get them. In the meantime employee #2 decided to clean up the wrapping and packing material underneath the arch. Without warning a heavy cross beam support came loose and was about to come down on employee #2’s head when a tall blond man stepped in and caught it. Understandably shook up and grateful, employee #2 shook the blonde man’s hand thanked him and said, “I am ______ and I am sure glad you just happened to be walking by!” The blonde man smiled and said “Nice to meet you too. My name is Sean.”  Employee # 1 had by then been walking back to the display and employee # 2 repeated his tale. “Sean” who had been there only minutes before was nowhere to be seen anywhere in the store. When asked, another customer who had been standing  by when the incident happened said she never saw anyone with “Sean’s description” at all.

3. Food court – late morning … employee just signing in for work notices the following:  A frazzled mother with three small unruly children stop for a snack. The kids are acting out and eating and drinking at the same time. One child starts to choke. The mother frantically tries the Heimlich maneuver but is not getting results. Enter “Sean” who just happens to be walking by, grabs the child, applies Heimlich and the food is dislodged. Totally grateful mother offers to pay the stranger who refuses. She asks, “May I at least know your name?” The stranger smiles and says, “Sean,” gives the woman and hug and walks away.

4. Department store. Customer who is obviously in a hurry, pays for her merchandise and then becomes aware she cannot find her car keys. She angrily dumps the content of her purse on the counter and rummages through it with no results. She next checks her pockets but still no keys. She and the store employee begin looking on the floor around the counter with no results. The woman is about to call her husband to bring an extra set out to the store when a tall blonde man taps her on the shoulder, hands her the car keys and says, “I saw you drop these.” Very relieved the woman is full of repetitive thank-yous and as the man walks away she says, “Wait, what is your name?” The man turns and smiles and says, “Sean. Have a blessed day.”

5. This is my own tale of “Sean.” I had pre-ordered a sandwich to be delivered to me from one of the mall vendors I had never ordered from before. When it arrived I had placed it in the employees lounge refrigerator until I was ready to eat it.  I am at my register when a tall blonde man comes up to make the purchase of a sports shirt. We engage in some idle chatter as is the usual case when I am checking a customer out. He, of course can see my name from my name tag.  The man pays cash and gets ready to leave saying, “It was very nice to meet you _______, my name is Sean.” He shook my hand and then held it for a brief moment, looked me dead in the eye and said, “If I were you, I wouldn’t  eat that sandwich. That vendor does not have a good reputation.” A bit dazed and confused, the only thing I could utter was a weak, “thanks.” Long story short, I did not eat that sandwich and found out two days later the vendor had been shut down.

So now I’ll just leave it to you. Who or what was ‘Sean?” Just a good Samaritan who was at the right time at the right place? Was he an angel in disguise? Even better, why were the five of us so fortunate that day?