Call… The… Ambulance! (And Then The Police!)
A mother and her young son are buying a few things. Her son is pestering her about getting a candy bar, and she lets him take one while she is looking for a specific cigarette brand behind our counter.
Customer: “Hmm, I wanted [Brand], but you seem to only have the menthols.”
Customer’s Son: “Mom… my neck feels funny.”
In the few seconds since the boy chowed down on the candy bar, I can see he is having an almost-immediate allergic reaction; his face is red, his eyes are puffy, and he is having trouble breathing.
Customer: *Nonchalantly* “Really? Today? You had to have chocolate with nuts in it, didn’t you?!”
Me: “Ma’am! Do you want me to call an ambulance?!”
Customer: “Oh, it’s okay. He always does this. We have about a minute before I need to give it any real attention. Oh, there’s my cigarettes! Ring those up real quick for me, will you?”
I refused the sale and called 911, but the mother sighed and said she would take him to the hospital. While I was still on the line with 911, I changed my request from an ambulance to the police, where I suddenly had a license plate number to give to them.
Related:
Call… The… Police, Part 4
Call… The… Police, Part 3
Call… The… Police, Part 2
Call… The… Police!