“Oh, No! Anyway…” Vibes

I was looking for baking powder, and I couldn’t find it among the other baking ingredients, so I flagged a nearby worker. She was an older woman, so experienced in life, if not in retail.

Me: “Can you help me?”

Worker: “I’ve only just started working here, but I will try.”

Me: “I am looking for baking powder, and I thought it would be here.”

She squatted down and examined the shelf.

Worker: “Yes, I would have thought so, too. It’s not there.”

And then she just walked away. I stood there like an idiot for a couple of minutes, thinking she was going to return with a more experienced colleague. But no, apparently, we were just two strangers who briefly puzzled over an insoluble puzzle before going our separate ways. She had a lot of I-don’t-work-here energy, but I swear, she was wearing a uniform and refilling a shelf when I interrupted her.

I gave up and decided to make a cheesecake, instead.