Well, Abracadabra, I Know The Words!

Several years ago, I worked as the overnight cashier for a convenience store in a rural part of Tennessee. We were the only store open for thirty minutes in any direction that late, so I saw pretty much everyone in the area all the time, and things were generally pretty casual. Another thing to note is that, although I was in my early thirties at the time, I still looked young enough that I got carded pretty much all the time for everything.

A semi-regular, a man in his late forties, came in one night to buy beer. The store was empty except for him and me. He seemed to be in a good mood and was singing a song from the Steve Miller Band, first released in 1976.

As he got up to the counter, I smiled at him, let him finish the lyric he was on, and then sang the next line by myself. His entire mood changed immediately.

Customer: *Scowling* “You’re not old enough to know that song!”

Me: *Raising an eyebrow* “Thanks, but I’m older than I look.”

He just growled at me, paid for the beer, and stomped out.

I never knew I could ruin someone’s night just by trying to join in the fun.