The other day there was a lively conversation in my office about experiences we’ve had on the job. I was sharing some of the stories with a client and she told me a story she had experienced decades ago while she and her husband were viewing property with a realtor. It was before kids rode in car seats or seat belts, when parents threw their arms over the little people to keep them from being thrown into the floor when they hit the brakes. The realtor in this story, let’s call him Bob, had two young boys and, as such, was well accustomed to extending his arm to protect his precious cargo. 

They had finished viewing property and all three – the realtor, the wife (my present client) and the husband – were in the front seat of the realtor’s pickup. They rounded a curve at full speed to see they were very quickly approaching a loaded log truck that had just pulled onto the highway and had not yet gained any speed. The realtor slammed on the brakes and extended his arm to protect his passengers as they began to skid toward the logs. It was momentarily terrifying as there was nowhere to go but toward the logs. They came to a stop inches from the logs. As the log truck lumbered to gain speed, they sat there collecting themselves as it had been a harrowing few seconds. My client’s husband was the first to speak, saying, “Bob, please take your hand off my wife’s breast.” 

It wasn’t until her husband spoke that my client realized the realtor’s hand truly was clasped tightly on her breast. She “awoke” to the situation and turned to face the realtor. He was staring straight at her, his face white as a sheet, but clearly still thinking of their terrifying near miss. The realtor was in such a state of shock, it seemed he couldn’t compute what the husband had said. Her husband said it again, “Bob, please take your hand off my wife’s breast.” Bob then “awoke” and started stumbling all over himself with apologies. 

Oh so many stories to tell but I will save them for another day.