My broccoli lesson

Today I did my grocery shopping at the nearest supermarket. I decided to go there in the morning, because I do not like to queue at the cashier counter. I think more people like going to supermarket in the afternoon, especially during weekend. I was right. The queue was not long.

There were only two people in front of me in the queue. I was there with my trolley. And only one person behind me. I checked my shopping list to know if I forgot something to buy. I needed to get milk in carton. I saw they were displayed on my right side, very close from where I was standing. So I went there to get the milk, I left my trolley. When I got back to my trolley, I realized that the lady who stood behind me had skipped me. Very quickly I was feeling bad. ‘It is not fair. Don’t you know how to queue? hey.. this is a public place. Do you know how to behave in a public place?’ These thoughts were playing in my head.

I knew I tried to make myself calm inside. A soft voice in my head said ‘Tini, look at her trolley! Not really much stuff. She wouldn’t take a long time for the payment. It’s OK if you get delayed for one or two minutes for her.’

The other voice said ‘Yes, but it is not fair.’ This voice was louder. I pushed my trolley very slowly towards that lady. I hoped that lady noticed it. And of course, she didn’t dare to look at me. She might realize that what she did to me was not right. I then planned to give her a lesson when I have made my payment. I would like to say to her ‘Next time, please do not skip the queue.’ This was the thought in my head.

This broccoli lesson is for me!

I was shocked when the cashier handed me the receipt of my payment. It cost more than I thought. There must have been something wrong, I thought. I then checked the list of the price of each purchased item on the receipt. Usually I never check any receipt of a payment. My eyes fall on to ‘broccoli’. It said 10 dollars for 269 grams of broccoli. It should have been only 1 dollar instead, as printed on its price tag. Then I talked to the cashier for this and she asked me to go to the information desk. The young man at the information desk apologized for the mistake. He took the receipt and the broccoli from me and revised it. He returned to me with some money. I was still feeling bad about that lady actually. I do not like keeping that kind of feeling in my heart, I always like sharing it to people. This is the way I let my emotion out and not keep it in me. It gives me feeling of a release after doing it.  And I shared it to this young man. I told my little story of the lady in the queue and also my plan of giving her a lesson. But I had to deal with the mistake of the broccoli’s price, so I didn’t execute my plan.

I could see the benefit of being skipped. I learned a lesson. This lesson was for me, not for the lady.