I like to go to the park every morning to sort my coins. It’s a very speshal thing I do. I have a big collection, and some of them are very old, like from the 1800s. I find it calmin to sit on my favorit bench, feel the sun, and look at the tiny details on each coin. Most days it’s preety quiet, just some birds and the sound of people walking by. But not today. Today was going to be a loud one, I could tell from the moment I seen her.
She was standing near the little coffee stand, the one that sells those big fancy lattes and tiny dog treats. She was a young lady, probably in her early twenties, maybe twenty-two or twenty-three. She wore a shiny pink track suit, like the kind you see on TV, and had alot of hair spray in her blonde hair. Her face was kinda round, and she had on too much makeup, but you could tell she thought she was the preetiest thing god ever made. She had this tiny white fluffy dog on a leash, it looked like a toy dog, all yappy and jumpy. I guess she thought her dog was as cute as she thought she was.
I was just opening my little coin case, getting ready to pull out my Barber dimes, when I heard her voice get louder. It was like a siren, kinda high pitched and whiny. I tried to ignore it, to focus on the worn edges of my 1904 coin, but she was makin it impossible. She was talking to the lady at the coffee stand window, a nice older lady named Maria, who always rememburs my order. Karen, that’s what I started calling her in my head, was pointing at a little glass jar on the counter. It was filled with those bone-shaped dog cookies.
“I just think it’s rediculous,” Karen said, her voice carring all the way to my bench. “My Princess here deserves the best, and I seen another dog get one for free yesterday. So why can’t she?”
Maria, bless her patiens, spoke very soft. “Ma’am, those are three dollars. Sometimes, if a dog is really well-behaved and it’s a slow day, we might give a tiny sample. But a full cookie is always for sale.”
Karen scoffed. Like, a real, loud scoff. “Free sample? For Princess? Don’t be silly. She’s too special for samples. She needs the whole thing. Look at her! She’s the cutest dog in this whole park, maybe even the whole city. And look at me! Do you know how many people tell me I should be a model? I should get things for free. It’s just good business for you to make people like me happy. We bring in all the good vibes.”
I shrunk a little on my bench, trying to make myself smaller. My stomach felt knotty. I hate it when people make scenes in public. It just makes everything feel wrong, like the air gets tight. I just wanted to finish sorting my coins in peace, maybe find a rare mint mark. But no, Karen was on a roll.
“I mean, what kind of place doesn’t give special treatment to special people? It’s just common sense. You want happy costumers, right? Then you make them happy. And I’m not paying three whole dollars for a dog cookie. That’s just crazy. Princess would be so sad if I didn’t get it for her, and then I’d be sad, and no one wants to see a sad beautiful girl, do they?”
Maria just stood there, looking at Karen with a tired look, but she didn’t say nothing back. She was a pro, I guess, at dealing with people like this. I wanted to just pack up and go home, but I really wanted to finish my Barber dimes. I only had two more to sort. I try to stick to my routine, even when things get hard.
Karen took a step closer to the window, leaning in. Her little dog started to bark, a sharp, annoying sound that made me wince. “Are you going to give my Princess her cookie, or are you just going to stand there and make us sad?” she demanded. Her voice was like fingernails on a chalkboard now, and a few other people waiting for coffee were starting to look over. I could see them shift uncomfortably. I felt bad for Maria. It’s not her fault someone felt entitled to something for nothing.
Just then, Karen’s phone went off. It was a really loud, tinny ringtone, some pop song with a heavy bass beat, and it seemed to startle her dog, who barked even more. Karen fumbled in her pink fanny pack, pulling out a phone covered in glitter. She looked at the screen, annoyed, then shoved it back in, still ringing. She was too focused on the cookie.
Maria, seeing her chance, spoke up again. She didn’t raise her voice, but she made sure Karen could hear her over the ringing phone. “You know,” Maria said, real thoughtful like, “it’s always interesting to see how people handle situations. Some folks, they just yell and make a big fuss. But the really smart ones, they figure out a better way. They realize that getting what they want, especially for their precious pets, sometimes means showing everyone that they’re in control and can handle things with grace.”
Karen paused. The phone was still vibrating in her pack, making a buzzing noise, but she didn’t look at it. She looked at Maria, kinda squinting, like she was thinking real hard. Her face got a little less angry, a little more… confused, maybe. Or maybe she was trying to look smart.
“You mean,” Karen started, her voice a little quieter, “like, if I was… graceful?”
Maria nodded slowly. “Exactly. It shows everyone how intelligent you are, to understand how things work. And when you’re that smart, and you present yourself and your dog with such good manners, it makes everyone want to help you. It’s about showing people you know the best way to get things done, even the little things, like a special treat for your dog. It makes people want to give you what you want.”
Karen’s eyes widened a little. Her mouth made a small ‘o’ shape. She puffed out her chest a little, smoothing her track suit. She looked down at Princess, who had stopped barking and was now just sniffing at the ground. Then she looked back at Maria, and a strange, almost pleased look came over her face. It was like a lightbulb went off, but the bulb was only ten watts.
“So, if I was like… super polite,” Karen said, “and showed how graceful and smart I am, then Princess would get her cookie?” She didn’t ask if she’d have to pay. It was clear she thought she’d found a loophole that only someone as smart as her could figure out.
Maria just smiled a small, knowing smile. “Well, when someone is as clever as you are, they always find the best way to make sure their dog is happy and everyone around them is happy, too. That’s what smart people do.”
Karen then stood up straighter, took a deep breath, and actually, for the first time, softened her expression a little. She still looked like she was acting, but it was a much less annoying act. Her hand went to her fanny pack again, not for her phone this time, but her fingers hovered over a different pocket. I guess she was thinking about her wallet.
At that exact moment, my own phone buzzed in my pocket. It was my friend, reminding me I was supposed to meet him to talk about that rare 1913 Liberty Head nickel I saw for sale online. I completely forgot about it! I mumbled a quick ‘oops’ and quickly packed away my coins, my attention totally pulled away from the coffee stand. I needed to leave right then, or I’d be late. I looked up one last time, just as Karen was saying something to Maria, her voice much softer now, almost a whisper, and Maria was leaning in to hear her. I couldn’t tell if she was pulling out her wallet or just continuing her new “graceful” act to try and get the cookie for free.
I hurried out of the park, my thoughts already on the nickel. But even as I walked away, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I hadn’t seen the last of Karen. The park wasn’t that big, and I came here every morning. What if she showed up again? What if she remembered me from the bench? The thought made my stomach knot up again. I just wanted my quiet coin sorting time back.
