To the Checkout Assistant That Made Me Absolutely Speechless – I Salute You
It was a day of rest, and I was sufficiently irritable, topping off the family car. The location was one of those petrol stations that also functions as a convenience store, which often leads of joining a queue customers carrying goods of somewhat expensive items. A terrible fate to happen when your only desire is to pay for some fuel. Awful.
My position was fourth among those waiting. There was only cashier operating, a young woman. There was something unusual about her. Once the slowpoke at the head of the line had finally paid for his Viakal, his pastry, and a carton of eggs, I could have sworn overhearing the cashier tell him an excellent day. Odd. Perhaps I’d misheard, or perhaps she spoke and used a mocking tone. I wondered if perhaps she was a supporter in my fight against faff, sharing my contempt for individuals slowing down people just getting gas like me.
Advancing next, to third in the queue. The new leader of our group finished pumping gas with commendable speed. And there it was again: “Wishing you a marvelous day.” To be precise, it was “have a wonderful day”. An American? Here in Stourbridge? The pronunciation indicated it, and no British person tells people such a cheerful phrase, or simply a good day. Quite out of place. You don’t get people from America frequenting this area, certainly not working in petrol stations or other places.
I was second now. After an elderly lady engaged in a protracted effort with her shopping cart, her food items, her wallet and her membership pass. The process dragged on. After she finished, she too received the wish an excellent day. Clearly an American. I could have confirmed it by saying something hilarious to her, to see if she did that thing when they look at you, stoically, and say with absolute sincerity: “That’s really funny.” But I couldn’t think of a jest to express.
In the end, I embraced the heartfelt tone – or an impersonation of it, essentially the same as identical in effect – while she stared straight at me, piercingly, and wished me an awesome day. It improved my mood. Beneficial indeed.
