🔗 Share this article For the Store Clerk That Left Me Absolutely Speechless – I Salute You The scene was a day of rest, and I found myself sufficiently irritable, topping off my mother's vehicle. It was a common fuel stop that operates as a grocery store, so you run the risk of ending up in line shoppers with carts of pricey provisions. It's an awful situation to occur when your only desire is to pay for some fuel. Awful. Fourth in line I stood in the queue. Just one employee working, a female attendant. There was something unusual about her. Once the slowpoke at the first position had at last settled for his Viakal, a baked snack, and some breakfast items, I was certain I heard the cashier wish him an excellent day. Strange. Could be I misunderstood, or possibly she uttered it and used a mocking tone. I pondered if perhaps she was a comrade in the war on delays, sharing my contempt for individuals slowing down simple fuel-buyers like me. Taking a step forward, now third in line. The next shopper of our group finished pumping gas with commendable speed. Again, the phrase came: “Have a wonderful day.” In fact, it was “have a wonderful day”. A stateside native? In Stourbridge? She had the accent, and hardly anyone here says to others those exact words, or merely a pleasant day. Quite out of place. You don’t get many Americans visiting this town, and definitely not working in petrol stations or anywhere else. I was second now. Following a senior shopper dealing with a right old battle with her carryall, her purchases, her purse and her membership pass. This took an eternity. After she finished, the woman also got told a wonderful day. Clearly an American. I could have confirmed it by cracking a joke at the cashier, to see if she did that thing when they look at you, without a smile, and say with absolute sincerity: “That’s really funny.” Yet no idea came of a jest to utter. Ultimately, I accepted for the absolute sincerity – or an impersonation of it, essentially the same as the same thing – with which she looked directly into my eyes, piercingly, and wished me to have a great day. My spirits lifted. A positive experience.