Speaking Out

I am a regular at garage sales, auctions, flea markets and just about anywhere else that I can purchase items to resale. I work almost incessantly. I'll leave the house at 4:00 in the morning and come home at 1:00 am. I work in freezing cold, pouring rain and blistering heat. I do this because I know just how difficult it is to survive in this business. Others do the same thing. It is after all "The early bird gets the worm.". Today I am home mostly in anger, partly in disgust and mostly because of my lack of belief that people really are this &*cking stupid.

I came home early so that I can tell you about the 97 degree heat that we are having here in Youngstown today. I am home to tell you that I really didn't find too much today. I am home to tell you that I just witnessed a garage seller leaving an infant child in the backseat of her car, which was sitting in the sun, to peruse a garage sale for approximately 10 minutes.

Ten minutes, I know this because she was there ahead of me and I was there for 10 minutes. In ten minutes time the temperature in my open windowed truck rose to around 110 (just a guess but probably pretty close). For 10 minutes a 4-5 month old sat in a closed windowed car, that was sitting in direct sunlight, while her caretaker attended a garage sale.

When I first arrived at the sale I recognized the caretaker from a prior garage sale today. I initially passed the car without thinking or looking at it, there was absolutely no reason for me to give it any notice. I wandered around this particular sale a little longer than normal because it was border line interesting. I half payed attention to the other garage salers only noticing that the person who had left the car ahead of me was purchasing a candle and a chair. Not seeing anything that I wanted to purchase I headed back down the driveway.

As I passed the car in front of mine I thought that I heard a crying sound. After glancing at the car, I saw a small crying child strapped into a car seat. Stunned at first I looked to see if anyone else had noticed. It appeared as though the person parked on the other side of the car started to get out to say something to me. Too late. I was already on my way back up the drive.

On my trek back up the drive I was torn between saying "the hell with this person" and calling 911, or saying to them "are you really that stupid?". I went with the "are you really that stupid?". The answer is "yes, she is". After my speaking to her she immediately left the sale, of course carrying the important load of candles and a single chair, to attend to her protege. He appeared fine and with an angered look on my face I left her to her ways.

I really wasn't sure if it was a momentary lapse in judgement or if she should be put into jail. I truly hope it was a momentary lapse. Lets not forget about the poor women who just plain forgot about the sleeping baby when she bought doughnuts for work. Accidents do happen.

In my opinion garage sales and auctions are not the place to take infant children. This person should have stayed home and watched Sesame Street with the baby instead risking its life so that she could buy a candle.