For the Store Clerk Who Made Me Totally Without Words – My Hat's Off to You
This occurred on a day of rest, and I found myself sufficiently irritable, refueling my mother's vehicle. This was a common fuel stop that operates as a grocery store, which often leads of ending up in line people bearing baskets of slightly overpriced groceries. It's an awful situation to occur when your only desire is to pay for some fuel. Dreadful.
My position was fourth in the queue. There was only cashier operating, a young woman. There was something unusual about her. Once the slowpoke at the front of the queue had at last settled for a cleaning product, his pastry, and some breakfast items, It seemed to me that I heard the cashier wish him a wonderful day. Odd. Could be I misunderstood, or possibly she uttered it and meant it ironically. I wondered if perhaps she was a comrade in my battle with dithering, sharing my contempt for people who hold up straightforward customers including me.
I moved up, to third in the queue. The next shopper of our group completed her gasoline purchase with impressive quickness. And there it was again: “I hope you have a fantastic day.” In fact, it was “may your day be absolutely splendid”. A stateside native? In Stourbridge? The pronunciation indicated it, and hardly anyone here tells people a wonderful day, or merely a pleasant day. Very rare. Rarely does one encounter people from America frequenting this area, and definitely not holding jobs in fueling spots or other places.
Second in line at last. Following a senior shopper dealing with a protracted effort with her basket, her purchases, her purse and her membership pass. This took an eternity. When she was done, she too received the wish to have a fantastic day. Yes, American for sure. I could have confirmed it by saying something hilarious at the cashier, to check for that reaction their typical stare, unsmilingly, and say with absolute sincerity: “That is quite humorous.” But I couldn’t think of anything hilarious to say.
In the end, I embraced the genuine warmth – or a performance of it, that equates to the same thing – as she gazed directly into my eyes, deep into my soul, and wished me to have a great day. It improved my mood. Beneficial indeed.
