You Don’t Have To Be An Employee To Share The Load

Several years ago, I was with my mother and children at a home improvement chain. I was driving around looking for a close parking space for my mother.

I noticed an elderly couple trying to get the tailgate open on their truck, and I could see that they were really struggling, so I parked in a spot and told my family to sit tight and I’d be right back.

Me: *To the couple* “Do you two need some help?”

Man: “The tailgate is not in great shape.”

I tried to get it down, but I couldn’t do it, either. Instead, I just grabbed the boxes of tiles they had purchased and gently set them down in the truck bed.

Man: “Those are heavy! Be careful not to hurt yourself.”

They were about fifty pounds each, and I was pretty small — 5’2” and 110 pounds.

Woman: “I’m sure she’s used to it since she works here.”

Me: *Smiling* “Oh, I don’t work here. I just saw that you needed help.”

She had this incredibly bewildered look on her face. She was speechless and just stared at me. Her husband thanked me, and I told them to have a great day and I went back to my car.