English Heard on the Street

I was walking on the street in a town next to mine.  This particular neighborhood (which, like much of Israel, consists of edifices with businesses and offices on the first story, and residential apartments at various levels above) does not have quite the concentration of Anglos as does the vicinity of my apartment (which itself is certainly is not the most Anglo-saturated neighborhood).  But some words of English were to be heard there this afternoon.

An American woman was doing her shopping with three young children in tow, two of whom were young enough to fit into a two-seat stroller.  The third one, about 4 years old, had apparently had his 4-year-old's patience drained, and was acting out.  Mom was likewise stretched to her limits.

The 4-year-old kid wanted a toy that was on display in a store window.  And he was very vocal and obnoxious about his desire.

So vocal and obnoxious that it caused a current overload in Momma's circuits, and Momma blew a fuse:  "I said 'no' and I mean 'no'!  You are a greedy, conniving, manipulative brat and if you ask me once more I will smack your butt!  I don't want to hear anything more from you until we get home!"

I was walking in the opposite direction about 2 meters away.  I looked at the woman and said, very audibly, "How good it is to hear some English spoken for a change!"

Fortunately, some of the Israelis in the immediate vicinity understood English, and a few started to laugh.  The woman's face broke out into a smile amidst the laughter.  I continued on along to my appointment.