The Slice: Keep those fingers away from her belly

And now, an adventure in motherhood.

“As a pregnant woman, I have become somewhat resigned to the unsolicited belly rubs from strangers who feel my stomach as if it is not a part of my private anatomy,” wrote Angela Geiss.

But something happened at a grocery store that caught her off guard.

A cashier was ringing up her purchases. She had already scanned some beer Geiss was getting for her husband. No red flags there. “But once she got to a filet of tilapia that I was planning on feeding my son for lunch the next day, she looked up at me in horror and asked, ‘Is this fish?’ ”

Geiss confirmed that it was.

“She literally came out from behind her station so she could stand next to me.”

The cashier then declared, “You’re not supposed to eat fish with that in there” — emphasizing the THAT by poking the pregnant customer in the midsection as if she were the Pillsbury Doughboy.

Geiss, administrative manager for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Alaska and Washington, was speechless. But now she has a message.

“Please pass along this request to your readers: Don’t make assumptions about people and their purchases, as you will probably be incorrect. And please, please don’t poke a pregnant woman in the stomach. Next time she may poke back.”

Friday’s Slice illustration connects with a reader: “I went out on the porch this morning, picked up the paper, slid it out of its plastic bag and then maybe squeaked, dropped the paper and crushed it under my slipper,” wrote Jaspenelle Stewart of Spokane. “Only then I realized it was just a photo of a spider.”

Slice answers: Ann Echegoyen said if she were the inspiration for an annually bestowed honor, she would like it to be called “The Recognition of Reality Award.”

Lan Hellie would want an award named after him to be “For going the extra mile to do something exceptional for animals.”

And Roger Walters said the Roger Walters Award should reflect an enthusiasm for gustatory adventure. “I’ve never met a meal I didn’t like,” he said.

Today’s Slice question: What’s the most unexpected question you have been asked during a job interview?