Mortified

This is going to go down as my second most embarassing moment. (Followed only by my having to read aloud all about erections in my 6th grade $ex ed class).

So I was at the Smith Meyer's today with my kids in their double wide stroller. I needed to buy a white sheet so I headed back to where the sheets were. In order to get to the linens, I had to pass through a bunch of tables with clearance stuff on them. As I passed by one of the tables, the stroller wheel tapped some kind of bucket that was next to the table and the opposite end of the table collapsed. All kinds of dishes and glassware slid to the floor and broke. In slow motion.

I was mortified.

MORTIFIED.

But the worst part is this: there was an employee lady doing some kind of inventory and when it happened she just looked at me. She gave me the dirtiest look I've seen in a long time, and did NOT SAY A SINGLE WORD TO ME.

Nothing.

What was I supposed to do? I just stood there. I really couldn't offer to pay for the stuff, since if the table's had been properly locked, it wouldn't have fallen down. I wasn't going to help pick it up since I am pregnant and had my kids with me. Another lady who had been looking at the dishes when the event happened, but made no attempt to save the table (since she was near that end) disappeared almost immediately after it happened, and I just stood there not knowing what to do.

And then I walked away.

This was a difficult decision, but I didn't know what else to say. Grinch lady didn't say anything to me, didn't indicate that I was to help, didn't smile and tell me not to worry about it, she just scowled at me like I was flipping pond scum.

iWait, t gets better.

I still needed to get the sheets, so I went to where they were. Another employee had come to help the crabby one and a man walked by and commented about the mess. The second employee lady said, "Well, the legs lock in place."

To which the man replied, "I guess they must not have been, if the table fell down."

And she commented back, "I don't know," in a sort of I-am-sure-they-were-secure-and-if stupid-customers-would-be-more-careful-I-wouldn't-be-on-the-floor-picking-up-broken-glass sort of voice.

Apparently Smith Meyer Witches One and Two were not having a good day.

So, anyway, I walked away. I felt bad about it, not bad about it, and kept looking over my shoulder the rest of the time I was in the store to see if I would be apprehended by some employee saying I needed to pay for the broken stuff.

What would you have done? I don't know if I did the right thing or not. It probably wasn't the right thing, but I really didn't know what else to do. I didn't feel like it was entirely my fault, and I certainly wasn't going to take more dirty looks from an employee who's only annoyance in my mistake was that she was going to have to clean it up, and not because she would be losing revenue. So really, what would you have done? Make me feel better here.