One Long Day

After a long, demanding, and insanely hectic day at the office, I walked my tired body down the dark, slippery stairs to the subway station. An electronic sign indicated that a train would be coming in two minutes, but it took about four times that long for it to actually arrive. We boarded, and the train began to move, albeit very slowly. At the next station, we were held for several minutes without explanation. 

We continued this slow progress through a few stops. Eventually, the conductor explained that we were following “a work train” and that the delays would continue. It was frustrating. I wanted to get to my stop, make a quick run the store to pick up some soup for dinner, go home and relax. In addition to being exhausted, I was feeling extremely hungry. I had had dental work done earlier in the week, and I have since consumed nothing more filling than applesauce.

Finally, the train arrived at my local station. I walked to the grocery store and purchased three boxes of organic creamy pumpkin soup. - This particular soup is delicious, I must say! Don’t wait to have a tooth pulled to give it a try.

Only one register was open at this late evening hour. A number of people stood ahead of me in the queue. The store manager eventually opened a second register. I could easily have made a dash for it, but I noticed the elderly woman ahead of me picking her items back up off of the conveyor belt. Clearly, she wanted to use this open register. I didn’t want to be rude, so I let her walk to it ahead of me.

Unfortunately, she was one of these ladies who looks for her change purse only after she hears the total amount of the bill. She opened the purse and began to count out sixty-eight cents with agonizing meticulousness. When she finally handed the change to the store manager, he didn’t even bother to count it. This transaction had already taken up too much of everyone’s time.

I stepped forward, and the man scanned my three boxes of soup. I slipped my credit card into the reader, but it refused to process my chip. How unnecessarily aggravating! After several aborted attempts and a slew of dirty looks from the impatient clients waiting behind me, the chip reader finally gave up and suggested that I swipe the card the old fashioned way. This method worked, and I was finally on my way to have my soup and get some much needed rest.

What a day!

Copyright © 2018 Daniel R. South 

All Rights Reserved