This country is not recognized as one that is particularly reverent of its elderly. Certain other cultures, particularly Asian, respect their seniors above all. I have always been taught to appreciate the wisdom and sometimes the limitations of the elderly. I think much can be learned from the life lessons of others.
So I'm in Wally World tonight waiting in an endless check-out line when an older woman behind me asks me if the line we are in is self-checkout. I answer no and she goes on to tell me a long story about how she hopes they don't ask her for a picture ID since she doesn't have a driver's license and she is paying with a credit card that she has never used before because she doesn't have enough money and she might have an old picture ID from when she was on welfare years ago. She is clearly not comfortable with what she is about to do and asks me many questions about paying with credit. I went through the procedure of the little credit card swiper thingy and told her that I would be happy to wait and help her through the transaction. She was so appreciative that I had offered, I was just PRAYING that she didn't offer me money. You know how some older people want to pay you for just everything? Luckily, she didn't.
So we chit chat some more about the massive heat in the store and Christmas and whatnot. I begin checking out and the cashier is being friendly and chatting which is unusual in this store but I engage her. I'm not really paying attention to the older woman at this point but then I hear a younger man's voice say, "Are you out of your mind? Where did you get that credit card?"
She responds, "It's mine, see it has my name on it. This is the one you used to buy that jewelry."
"I never bought any jewelry. What are you talking about?"
She doesn't back down. "Yes you did buy jewelry and you know it. And you used my credit card."
"How stupid are you?" he says.
(Now his voice is really loud.....people are looking from a couple registers away)
I'm looking at the cashier that's ringing up my stuff and I'm clearly getting pissed. She asks me if I know them. I, of course say no, but tell her that I'm ready to pop this guy, he's a big jack-off. I turn around and ask the lady if she wants me to help her. She says no, that this big dick is her son and he will help her. Sure.
He starts talking to me saying shit like, she still thinks it's 1920 and we don't even have indoor plumbing, and other stupid shit and she's all I wasn't even alive in 1920 and we DO have indoor plumbing.
He then degrades her some more by asking her what day it was and did she call to activate the credit card and doesn't she know that it has to be activated and of course she doesn't know that.
I turned to them again and politely told the big fuck-face that there was a time that credit card did not have to be activated and maybe he should just wait and see if the card works. I then told him that I would be happy to wait with his mother and help her check out, in fact I insisted on it. He mumbled something about being privileged and wandered away. I don't know what he meant but I'm telling you I was so HOT! Turns out, the credit card has expired and she wasn't able to purchase everything she had in her cart with the cash she had. I offered to give her the extra money but she declined saying it was for him anyway. Fuck that I whispered to the cashier.
I kept my cool for two reasons. One, I didn't want to embarrass the woman even more. I'm mean, she relies on this asshole to take her to the store and maybe the doctor. She has to have had issues with him in public before. Secondly, I'm thinking if he treats her like this in a store, what the hell happens at home? And his reference to "we" not having indoor plumbing.....I'm sure he's sponging off of her. (The guy was probably in his mid-thirties.) So if I turn the table and embarrass his ass for a change, God only knows how he'll take it out on her at home.
This is one of those things that happens that I have really fires me up and makes me want to shout from the rooftops how rotten it is. That's one of the reasons I started this blog.....to invite others to join me on my soapbox and gripe about the indignities of our fellow man.
Sorry if you read this before I proof it which will happen sometime Tuesday afternoon. (I have my new job orientation tomorrow morning!) I did spell check though and didn't realize fuck-face was hyphenated and cannot believe that spell check told me that.
