Emergency Stepson

One day when me Pops was about 35 years old he noticed an older woman, he guessed she was 80 or so, standing nervously in the foyer of the bank where he had just made a business deposit. Just waiting for someone, he thought. And she was. She was waiting for him.

As Dad was opening the outer door he felt her arm slip under his elbow. "So nice to run into you here!" she told him pleasantly. "We can talk as we go to my car."

Pops sensed something, not bad, but enough that he went along with it. She talked about her day and how wonderful the weather had been. Dad nodded and affirmed a thought or two as the older woman spoke. He allowed her to lead, not knowing which car in the bank lot was hers.

She released his arm as they approached the vehicle, drawing the keys from her purse. "Thank you, young man," she explained, "Maybe I'm worrying too much, but I simply didn't like the looks of the two men hanging around near the bank door." 

At that, Dad did recall a couple of shady characters on the street corner as they left. "You're welcome," he replied. He didn't mind at all being an emergency stepson.

He didn't really mean anything but...

He didn't mean anything by it. I could tell by the sound of his voice and the vaguely horrified look on his face. He meant well; his intention was to be helpful and considerate. He meant well. But still...
I met a customer in Toledo yesterday, to deliver a couple barrels of cable and a set of smaller cables. I grabbed both baskets of small cables and set them in the back of his truck. Then I went back to get one of the large barrels with the large cables. As I reached for them the young man, I'm guessing he is indeed about 30 years younger than I am, raced over and cut in front of me. "Let me get those, sir! I'm a lot younger than you!" he explained hurriedly.
I beg your pardon?
As I say, I know he meant well. And as too many people these days aren't considerate enough, I don't want to disparage an honest and real concern. But it was an unusual way to express it.
I had to be careful not to let the old geezer in me respond. "Now, lookee here, young feller, I been liftin' heavy loads out o'the back of trucks well nigh on 40 year. I know somethin' 'bout liftin' heavy things without hurtin' meself!" But I held geezer in check. I stammered something like, "Uh, okay, thanks."
It's funnier now than at 6 o'clock last night. Yet there is that part of me that's still a bit insulted.