Things have been fairly mundane at the Dollar Store -- until yesterday. The OC clerk was there, and I felt that slight trepidation I always feel when I see her. I got my merchandise and stood waiting in line behind a couple. The man was purchasing a kitchen-sized trashcan along with a few other items. He saw that OC was bagging the smaller items and he said, "Oh, you can just put all that in here," gesturing to the trashcan.
I held my breath. This was a huge, I knew; this wasn't going to go over.
OC stared at him a moment, the same intensity in her large eyes that comes with suggestions of deviation from the norm. Then she said firmly, "I have to use a bag."
I looked at the man. He shook his head in mild exasperation. I grew tense, expecting an argument.
Then I noticed the wife smiling at me, as if seeking comaraderie. I smiled in return, trying to look merely pleasant rather than derisive. I would never want to hurt OC's feelings, despite her infuriating inability/refusal to think outside the box.
Anyway, as it turned out, the male customer ended up chatting congenially with OC, clearly choosing to forget his irritation.
That was actually really neat. Sometimes I assume I'm the only person in a group that was raised being taught how to act right. This man reminded me that we can take any annoying situation and make it positive by pretending it's not annoying. And the beauty of it is, by the end of the interaction, it really isn't annoying anymore. It's just learning how to get along with somebody different from you.
Still, I'm glad I don't have to wait for her to scan 11 milk jugs anymore.
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