She Should’ve Left It At “Thank You”

I am standing in line at a gas station convenience store with a coffee and snack. The other customer at the register looks like she may be in her fifties or later and possibly like she lives on the street. All she has is a bottle of water and a cup of dehydrated soup. The cashier can’t be more than eighteen years old.

Cashier: “Looks like your card didn’t go through. Do you want to try again, or do you have cash?”

Woman: “No.” *Tries it again* “Why isn’t it working?!”

Cashier: “We can try one more time.”

Woman: “It’s probably your stupid system, robbing me every time I swipe my card.”

Her card fails for the third time.

Cashier: “If you would like, I can hold these items, and you—”

Woman: “What I would like is a f****** soup and some f****** water. Okay?!”

Me: “Hey!”

Woman: *Spinning toward me* “What?!”

Me: “That attitude is not acceptable.”

Woman: “Don’t talk to me like a child.”

Me: “Don’t act like one.”

Woman: “What—”

Me: “I’ll pay for your water and soup if it will get you out of here.”

Woman: *Suddenly nice* “It’s been such a rough week., I can’t even begin to tell you. Thank you, thank you.”

I step up and add my purchases.

Cashier: “Okay, your total is [amount].”

Woman: “Add three packs of [cigarettes], a bottle of [liquor], and [lottery tickets] to this, too.”

Me: “No.”

Woman: “What?! You—”

Me: *Firmly* “No.”

Woman: “Fine! B****!”

She grabs her soup and water and walks out the door.

Woman: “F****** whore!”

Cashier: “Um… I don’t…”

Me: “It’s okay. I’ll pay.”

I see that woman every now and then, standing on corners asking for change. She must remember me, too, because she always flips me off.