Manny the Manny

(Before reading on, let me assure you that I am not a shill. Cross my manny heart.)

We New Yorkers make a lot of sacrifices to live in this city. For one, we pay too much money to live in apartments that are too small and always too hot. For another, we often have to put up with subpar customer service and a dearth of available public restrooms.

This latter is a particular nuisance when out and about with young kids, because even with Yoshi doing the Pee Pee Dance before their very eyes, most of the employees in restaurants and stores are still completely adherent to the “Restroom for customers only” sign taped in the window. I’ve bought innumerable cups of coffee that I didn’t need or want, just to gain customer status and bathroom access.

So, you can imagine my predicament when Yoshi complained of needing to pee yesterday while we were at the bank. I was making a deposit at the ATM, and when I looked down at him, I saw the situation was urgent. Legs crossed, grabbing his junk, looking up at me with pleading eyes — this kid was gonna blow. We were a good 15 minute walk from home, the park, everywhere.

It was now or never.

And on that day, it turned out to be my good fortune to be a TD Bank customer.

Now, I had been at the ATM for a few minutes, because I had to make two separate deposits, and I noted that the gentleman who greets people at the door (they have them at every TD branch — I reckon you’d call him a “greeter”) saw me making these transactions. I thought to myself:

Well, it’s pretty clear that I’m a customer, since I’ve been at this ATM so long. I’ve found the staff at most branches to be pretty friendly and helpful on the whole, and the place bills itself as being “the most convenient bank,” what with the dog treats and late hours and what not. I’m sure they have no customer restroom, but I bet they’ll let Yoshi use the employee one.

Whether my thought process was sound or not, I was out of options. He was going to pee in that bank one way or the other. It was really just up to an adult to decide whether he was going to do so on the floor or in the bathroom.

We strolled in, and I asked the greeter if Yoshi might be able to use the restroom. He smiled, seemed a little a doubtful, but walked over and asked the counter supervisor. She looked up from the counter at Yoshi and without hesitation said, “For the little boy? Sure!”

She led us back through a locked door, past the employee lounge and to the bathroom, where Yoshi took care of business. And so, a major incident was avoided.

I didn’t catch her name, but thanks all the same to her and the rest of the staff at the TD Bank branch in [name of borough and neighborhood redacted]. They went above and beyond, providing a high level of customer service that it both atypical in New York and exactly what I’ve come to expect from TD Bank. They made this pessimistic manny and his charge very happy, with just a simple act of kindness.

In the words of Shakespeare’s Portia — and Willy Wonka — “so shines a good deed, in a weary world.”

It probably didn’t hurt that Yoshi happens to be adorable.

Have you encountered someone who went out of their way to help you with your child? How about someone who refused to help out of hand?

(Image credit: corrinely’s flickr. Used under Creative Commons license.)