Decisions

Decisions



“Can I help you with anything?” the associate asked me.
“Huh?” I replied, jumping a little. I had been in deep thought,
trying to decide on which cereal to buy.
“You've been standing here for almost twenty minutes,” she said.
“Oh!  Actually, twenty-three and a quarter!” I corrected her,
directing her to my watch.  It was a Seiko and I was proud.  Damned proud.
“Well, my mistake,” she said.  I caught the slight eye-rolling attitude and I would
have mentioned it but it was a Saturday.  If it had been a Sunday or a Wednesday
I would have been speaking to a manager.  Why?  I don't know either.  I'm still working on that.
“I caught your slight eye-roll,” I said with a smirk.
She apologized.  She said she had just recently broken up with her boyfriend.
He had been dating a dental hygienist behind her back.  She said she always knew and that
there was also something about a wart.  The intercom came on and I didn't hear the whole story.
“What are you doing though?” she inquired.
I knew what she was doing here.  She was trying to set me up but I was one step ahead of her.
I had good oral skill unlike her apparently and I intended to use them.
“I'm contemplating,” I replied.
“About?”
“I decide my cereal by the toy inside,” I said.
It had long been a tradition in my family and my father's family and mother's family passed
down from my sister's cousin to make a cereal choice by the toy inside.
We talked some more.  Not about oral skills or warts.  We even danced by the stream.
I don't know how the stream got there but it was there.  I even offered to show her my wart but
she told me not to make an ass out of myself.  In the end we agreed on one thing, that the toy
choices in cereals were of crucial importance and therefore I should avoid generics because they
do not offer toys.  Not much anyway.  Not since Watergate.
We narrowed it down to a whistle, two types of cars, magic tricks and reusable toilet paper.
Five choices.  Not bad after a total of four hours deliberating.  I decided on the magic tricks
instead of the toilet paper although it was a tough decision.  You can do a lot with magic tricks
but toilet paper's only got so many options, even if it is reusable, at least in my family.
I thanked her for her help and offered to show her my wart again but she said “NO!” emphatically.
A good day's work I thought proudly and marched up to the checkouts to pay for my selection.
There was great applause and after I had paid I was even given a polite escort to the exit doors of
the store.
'My god!' I thought. 'This store, these people truly care!'
I left with a smile. With my cereal with the magic tricks inside the box.
When I got home however I realized that I had forgotten the milk!
'That's okay!' I thought to myself. 'I'll just go back!'
For I knew that they would be so delighted to see me return.

--msl2022