She Will Huff, And Puff, And That’s About It

My boyfriend and I make a quick trip to the grocery store. We go up to the self-checkout, where someone left a bag of cat food sitting on top of the drink cooler. I assume it was something someone decided not to buy at the last minute and left there. We use the register next to this bag of cat food.

As my boyfriend is ringing up the groceries, I hear someone storm up behind me and start slamming things down on top of the bag of cat food. I give a small glance behind me and notice a woman is standing super close, arms crossed and huffing loudly, as if she’s upset we are using the register. I should also note that the other self-checkout registers around us are empty: if she wants to use a self-checkout she can easily take her stuff and go to one of the other registers. Instead, she continues to stand behind me and huff loudly — which I assume to be her way of trying to tell us to hurry up. 

My boyfriend finishes ringing up the groceries. He goes to the attendant to get his ID checked for some beer and the lady behind me sighs even louder. Again. The other self-checkouts are open. She doesn’t have to wait on us to finish on this one. I decide to irritate her more. 

My boyfriend comes back and goes to pay, I wave my hand at him and start slowly putting coins into the machine. One by one. I drop one every now and then. Some on purpose, some on accident. He’s watching me in confusion while the woman behind me has finally had enough and starts making a scene of grabbing her groceries and cat food and asking the cashier at the register next to us if she is open. Said cashier has just walked to the register and put the light on. 

I let my boyfriend finish paying, and we walk away as soon as the woman has slammed her bag of cat food down on the belt of the newly-opened register. I glance back, see her glaring daggers at us, and give her a big smile as my boyfriend and I walk out of the store.