Deaf To Reason, Part 12

I’m a cashier at my local grocery store. I’m partially deaf in both ears so I wear hearing aids. I live in a small town so most people know each other and they know about my hearing aids. This man wasn’t familiar to anybody, so I know he isn’t from around the town.

I’m checking out a customer when the man comes up in line not really paying attention. The customer I’m helping leaves and the man is next up. I’m extremely pale; I could pass for albino at this point.

Me: “Welcome to [Grocery Store]. Did you find everything you needed?”

The customer looks up at me and starts getting visibly angry.

Customer: “Take those out of your ears, you disrespectful n*****!”

Me: “Um, I’m sorry? Take what out of my ears?”

Customer: “Those d*** earphones! All you kids are so disrespectful to your elders! D*** n*****s, don’t you know it ain’t polite to keep them in?! Where is your manager?! Does he know you’re being rude to customers?”

I realize he is talking about my hearing aids.

Me: “I’m sorry, sir, but these aren’t earphones. I’m partially deaf so I wear hearing aids.”

This guy wasn’t having it. Before anyone could do anything, he leapt over the counter and ripped them out of my ears, breaking both of them. He was immediately escorted out by some patrons in the store, all the while screaming about disrespectful kids.

I stood at my counter teary-eyed, looking at my broken hearing aids, which are not cheap. Then, the next customer in line looked at the ground and saw he had dropped his wallet. We ended up calling the police and he forcibly paid for my new hearing aids. Safe to say, I am no longer a cashier, but I still go to that grocery store and I’m always greeted with a joking, “Take your earphones out!” by the employees.

Related:
Deaf To Reason, Part 11
Deaf To Reason, Part 10
Deaf To Reason, Part 9
Deaf To Reason, Part 8
Deaf To Reason, Part 7