It had been raining day-after-day that August in Sag Harbor and our six-year old daughter Elana was acting very crabby at home. “There’s nothing to do,” she complained. Elana suffers from birth-related neurological deficits; she has cerebral palsy and cortical visual impairment and gets agitated in new places when there is a lot of noise. Elana has also always been good at testing her parents’ patience. This day was no exception so we both decided to take her to see a children’s matinee at the nearby Southampton cinema.

After I purchased our tickets, I decided it would be a good idea to buy a large tub of popcorn and some soda so I stood on the refreshment line while Elana, in her wheelchair and Phyllis stood off to the side as the previous show had not let out yet. A lot of kids were gathered in the lobby awaiting the end of at least two movies.