Hello! It has been a long while since I've posted. There is always movement behind the silence and so I begin. I've been thinking about this experience I had at the checkout a couple of weeks ago. The line for the self checkout was ridiculous so I decided to go through the express line which only had two people. I sat my items (under fifteen, thank you very much) on the conveyor belt and waited for my turn. As the woman ahead of me was paying for her order, a tall, well dressed, clean cut boy about 10 or 11 walked up to the check out. He had a discounted bouquet of flowers in his hand. There was a happy eagerness under his eyelashes that made his dark eyes glisten with delight. This kid was on a mission. He handed the cashier his discount card. The checkout lady looked at me as to say apologize because the boy had cut in line. I didn't mind letting him go on with his endeavor. It was refreshing to see a child on a mission for something good. As I stood there, I wondered who the flowers were for, a mom, a grandma, or a teacher perhaps. Maybe they were for a crush at his school or in his neighborhood. My wandering thoughts came to a sudden stop as I continued to observe what came next. The child had an accent and didn't speak any English. There seemed to be fumes coming off the top of the cashiers head. Her lips were tightened together and she wore a pruney expression on her face. "Do you want the flowers or not?!", she exclaimed. "You can't pay with that!" He kept handing her the store discount card. He was trying to communicate but didn't understand why the cashier wouldn't take his card. It did resemble a credit card, especially with the thin black strip in the back. I told the cashier that it was okay, that I would pay for his flowers. She seemed to boil even more, shaking her head. I smiled as he took the flowers and made his exit. By that time a small group of onlookers had gathered around the checkout. Some wore smug looks on their faces, Others blew off their bubbled up thoughts or emotions by dismissing what they witnessed and walking away. As the woman swiped my items and placed them in the bag I said, "You never know the circumstance of what someone is going through." She dismissed me as well. I am not the hero in this story. The hero is the boy who naively withstood disapproval for the purpose of bringing something special to another. That, is the hello. Sometimes hellos require courage...Have a wonderful day!
