The big store was bright, like always. I was just looking for new socks, plain ones, because my old ones had holes. It was a Saturday, so many people were walking around. I do not like too many people, but sometimes it is nice to see them doing their shopping. I try to walk in the quiet parts of the store, but the sock aisle is always busy.
I found the socks I wanted, a three-pack of plain white ones, not too thick, not too thin. I liked them. I walked to the front to pay. The line was not too long, only three people in front of me. This was good. I do not like to wait much. The person working at the register was a man, he had a friendly face. I saw him before. His name tag said “Mr. Lee.” He was always kind when I bought things.
Then a woman came to stand behind me. She had a baby in a stroller. The baby was sleeping, very quiet. The woman looked like she was in a hurry. She had a big purse on her shoulder and a very old, shiny thermos in her other hand. It looked like a special kind of thermos, not like the cheap ones. She was looking around, like she was important. She wore nice clothes, a blue top and white pants that looked new. Her hair was neat.
The line moved a little. One person finished. Then another. Now only one person was in front of me. That person had many things in their cart, so it took some time. The baby in the stroller made a little sound, then slept again. The woman behind me made a sigh, a loud one, like she was tired of waiting. I did not look back. I just looked at the socks in my hand.
Then the person in front of me finished. It was my turn. I walked to the register. Mr. Lee smiled. I put my socks on the counter.
Before Mr. Lee could even scan my socks, the woman behind me pushed her stroller a little forward, right next to me. She cleared her throat, very loud.
I turned my head a little. She was looking at Mr. Lee, not at me. Her face was not smiling.
She spoke. Her voice was not loud, but it was very firm. She said she needed something. She said she needed the special baby formula for her baby. The one that was very expensive. She said the store owed her it because of a bad experience last week. She said she talked to a manager about it, and the manager said it would be taken care of today.
Mr. Lee looked at her. His smile was gone. He looked a little confused. He said he did not know about this. He said he needed a name or a code for the manager’s promise. He said he could not just give away expensive formula without something from the system.
The woman’s face got a little red. She said her name was Mrs. Davis. She said she did not have a code. She said the manager promised it when her baby cried too much last week because the store did not have the right kind of diapers. She said it was a big mess. She said her baby was very sensitive. She pointed to the sleeping baby.
I thought about my socks. I just wanted to pay. My stomach felt a little strange. I do not like when people get angry in public.
Mr. Lee was still calm. He said he understood it was frustrating. He asked if she had a receipt from that day, or if she remembered the manager’s name. He said if he could just find it in the system, it would be easy.
Mrs. Davis got louder. She said she did not keep receipts for bad experiences. She said she was not a liar. She said she was a good customer. She said she spent a lot of money in this store. She said her baby needed the formula now, or the baby would be hungry when it woke up. She said it was not fair.
Other people in line were starting to look. Some stopped talking. A man behind Mrs. Davis shifted his weight. I could feel the air getting thick, like before a storm. I just wanted my socks.
Suddenly, a little boy, maybe three years old, in the next line over, started crying very loudly. Not just a little cry, but a big, screaming, tantrum cry. He wanted a toy. This made Mrs. Davis jump. She looked at the boy, then back at Mr. Lee, her face even redder.
She said, This is ridiculous! She said, My baby needs peace and quiet! She said, And you are making my baby wait! She said, Just give me the formula! She said, It is the least you can do! She put her hand on the counter, next to my socks.
Mr. Lee looked at her for a moment. He did not look angry. He just looked like he had seen this many times. He took a slow breath.
He said, Mrs. Davis, I cannot just give away something that costs so much without approval. He said, It is my job. He said, I can call a manager again, but it will take time. He said, Maybe ten minutes. He said, Is that okay?
Mrs. Davis looked at the crying boy again. The boy’s mother was trying to calm him, but he was still screaming. Mrs. Davis looked very stressed. She touched her thermos, like it was a worry bead.
She said, Ten minutes? She said, My baby could wake up and be starving in ten minutes! She said, This is terrible service!
Mr. Lee leaned a little forward, just a tiny bit. He spoke in a very soft voice. He said, Mrs. Davis, I understand. He said, What if I give you a small bottle of the basic store brand formula for free right now, just to hold the baby over, while we wait for the manager to come and get your special formula? He said, That way, your baby can eat something quick, and we can solve the big problem properly. He said, It is on the house, for your trouble.
I heard some people behind Mrs. Davis make a small sound, like a surprise gasp. The man behind Mrs. Davis looked at Mr. Lee like he was a genius.
Mrs. Davis looked at Mr. Lee, then at the store brand formula on the shelf behind him. Her eyes went between the store brand and the picture of her expensive formula in her mind, I think. The crying boy was still crying, but a little less now. The store brand was not what she wanted, I knew. But it was free, and it was fast.
She hesitated. Her mouth opened, then closed. She looked at her baby in the stroller. The baby was still sleeping.
Finally, she sighed. A different kind of sigh this time, not angry, but a tired one.
She said, Fine. She said, Just this once. She said, But I expect the manager to make things right with the expensive one. She said, And I expect it fast.
Mr. Lee nodded. He picked up a small, sealed bottle of the basic store brand formula from the shelf. He scanned it, then voided the price. He did not call a manager. He did not even pick up the phone. He just smiled a little, a very small smile, but it was not a happy smile.
He put the formula in a small bag and handed it to Mrs. Davis. She snatched it. She did not say thank you. She turned her stroller around and walked away, out of the line, towards the baby aisle, still looking important. The crying boy’s mother had finally quieted him down.
Mr. Lee looked at me. He scanned my socks.
He said, That will be three dollars and fifty cents.
I paid for my socks. I felt a strange mix inside. Relief that it was over, but also a little confused. The woman got free formula, even if it was not the special one. She got away with it. Mr. Lee was very smart to make her choose the fast, free, not-what-she-wanted option. He made the problem go away quickly. It was like magic, almost. I picked up my socks. I just wanted to go home now. My brain felt tired from watching it all. It was too much noise, too much feeling.
