Monday, March 20, 2017

It's Getting Mighty Testy Around These Parts...


Dad was mad as hell and his blood pressure was up tonight. He looked beet red under that fair, milky skin of his. I told him to chose his battles wisely -- that this was inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. A girl was checking us out at Kroger and then stopped helping us to go help a new girl with a WIC voucher a register over.

"We're cash paying customers and we deserve to go first," my father told the cashier with a snarl to his voice.

He was never much one to mince words.

Had my dauntless father gotten flustered? Dad had forewarned me that he was in a "rat's ass" mood. I braced myself for much social anxiety and I was already terribly anxious when I walked through the door at that establishment. My crazy meds were just about to kick in and I then began to feel some sweet and relished relief on the drive home.

"I am so sorry sir!" she told my father rather pleadingly. "We are not usually busy this time of the night."

And busy they were, I told dad that everyone has spring fever including myself. It is a beautiful night tonight and the night time insects have started serenading us until another fall and winter.

"What would Charlie do if that happened to him?" my father asked me as we loaded up my car with groceries.

"He would have yanked all their asses up and got his groceries for free," I replied..

4 comments:

PipeTobacco said...

Sir:

I am sorry, but in my opinion, for your father to act that way because another cashier needed help to learn how to handle a WIC Coupon, is.... to me rather boorish, rude, and disrespectful.

A person who is poor enough to qualify for WIC, does not need to be denigrated because of that need. Your father's "cash lying customer" bullshit line is nothing but elitist and condescending.

I apologize, but it really galls me when people treat poor people like dirt. It always has annoyed the hell out of me.

PipeTobacco

skinny minny said...

I agree with Pipe Tobacco and to think that Charlie would have thrown such a stink to get his stuff free? Appalling! Sorry. but it is a very elitist attitude to think that one is better than another and deserves anything simply because method of payment... that being said I would have been mortified and my social anxiety would have gone crazy to the point of never being able to go to that store again for a long time. I may have even given up on groceries for the night.
Sounds like your Dad was in a very irritated mood.

glittermom said...

Bad behavior...

diana said...

Agree with everyone.

WIC stands for "Women, Infants, and Children. It's not just for the poor but for those with a Nutrition Risk or pregnant.. Low birth weight, anemia, etc. Applicants must be seen by a health professional such as a physician, nurse, or nutritionist who must determine whether the individual is at nutrition risk. One of the largest recipients of WIC is our military families. It's a short term program and most mothers and children "graduate" in a year or so. They also require classes which teach first time mothers and fathers about nutrition and care. In short they give children a good start. I think your fathers behaviour was childish and rude.