To the Cashier Who Made Me Completely Speechless – I Salute You
It was a Sunday morning, and I felt grumpy enough, filling up the family car. The location was a typical gas station that operates as a convenience store, meaning there's a chance of joining a queue people bearing baskets of somewhat expensive items. A terrible fate to happen when your only desire is to get gasoline and leave. Dreadful.
I was fourth among those waiting. There was only person serving, a youthful clerk. Something stood out in her demeanor. After the ditherer at the first position had completed payment for a cleaning product, a baked snack, and some breakfast items, It seemed to me that I heard the cashier wish him an excellent day. Unusual. Maybe it was a mistake, or perhaps she spoke and was being sarcastic. The thought crossed my mind if she could even be an ally in my battle with dithering, reflecting my irritation for people who hold up people just getting gas including me.
I moved up, to third in the queue. The new leader of our line completed her gasoline purchase with impressive quickness. And there it was again: “Wishing you a marvelous day.” To be precise, it was “enjoy a truly great day”. A stateside native? Here in Stourbridge? She had the accent, and few locals says to others those exact words, or merely a pleasant day. Highly unusual. It's uncommon to find many Americans frequenting this area, and definitely not holding jobs in fueling spots or other places.
Second in line at last. Behind a poor older woman engaged in a lengthy struggle with her shopping cart, her food items, her handbag and her loyalty card. The process dragged on. Once completed, she too got told to have a fantastic day. Clearly an American. I might have verified it by saying something hilarious in her direction, to see if she did that reaction their typical stare, stoically, and reply with genuine earnest: “That’s really funny.” Yet no idea came of a jest to utter.
In the end, I embraced the heartfelt tone – or a mimicry of sincerity, that equates to no different – while she stared directly into my eyes, piercingly, and wished me an awesome day. It improved my mood. A positive experience.
