Today's happiness -- "She tripping or what?" An elderly, infirm woman was spreading ugliness throughout CVS yesterday. She yelled at the customer she passed on the way in ("Speak good English, why don't you?"), berated the woman (her daughter?) who was helping her, even scolded me for ... I'm not sure what she scolded me for. She turned the corner and almost hit me with her cart. I saw she had a cane so I stood still to give her an opportunity to right herself and get around me. She kept yelling, "EXCUSE ME! EXCUSE ME!" at me. Even after I'd passed her. I finally turned back, bowed deeply and shouted, "YOU'RE EXCUSED!" To which she countered, "You're no lady!"
As she was being rung up, she continued verbally abusing the woman she was with, saying there was no way she could possibly walk that far to the car, "you idiot," and demanded the "idiot" go out and pull closer to the door. Then she yelled at the girl at the register for how high the prices were and how unfair it is that you need a CVS card to get coupons and sale prices.
She was so loud, I could hear her through my headphones. She was so unrelentingly hostile I was getting really upset.
Then two teenage girls came in. One girl hooked her thumb at the old lady and asked her friend, "She tripping or what?" THAT shut Mean Granny right up. And made me laugh.
I must learn to adopt that casual attitude when confronted with rudeness. "She tripping or what?"
These are the thoughts and observations of me — a woman of a certain age. (Oh, my, God, I'm 65!) I'm single. I'm successful enough (independent, self supporting). I live just outside Chicago, the best city in the world. I'm an aunt and a friend. I feel that voices like mine are rather underrepresented online or in print. So here I am. If my musings resonate with you, please visit my blog again sometime.
I especially dislike when someone's vitriol lingers with me.
ReplyDeleteI hope the mean lady heard her say that!
ReplyDeleteI feel sorry for the daughter/friend; dealing with all that sheer meanness must be exhausting.
ReplyDelete