I was just standing there, looking at a display near the back of the museum gift shop. It was really interesting, all these old rocks and shiny things you could buy. I had spent a good while walking around the whole place and figured I would get a small souvenir for my desk at home. I wasn’t really paying attention to anything else, just lost in thought about how old some of these things were and what stories they could tell.
Then this person just stomped right up to me. She came real close, invading my space in a way that made my stomach tighten a little. I turned to look at her. She had a bag hanging off her arm, a big canvas one, and she leaned in real close. Her breath was warm and smelled like strong coffee, which was not what I wanted up in my face at all. She started talking without even a ‘hello’ or ‘excuse me’.
“You! Where are the fossil replicas?” she demanded, her voice cutting through the quiet hum of the room. It was sharp, like a knife edge. I blinked a few times, trying to figure out if she was talking to me. I looked around, thinking maybe someone was behind me. Nope, just me.
“Sorry?” I said, trying to be polite even though her tone already had my shoulders tensing up. “I don’t actually work here. I’m just looking.”
Her eyes narrowed, and a little wrinkle appeared between her eyebrows. “What do you mean you don’t work here? You’re standing right by the geology section. You look like you work here. Now, don’t play games. I need to find a specific replica, a trilobite, and I need it now. My grandson is waiting in the car.”
My jaw dropped a bit. I felt a surge of confusion. “But I really don’t. I’m just a visitor, like you. I promise.”
She huffed out a breath, a loud sound that made my ears ache. “Oh, for goodness sake! This is ridiculous. Every time I come to one of these places, the staff tries to pretend they’re too good to help. I know you know where the trilobite is. You were just staring at the rocks. Just point me in the right direction. It’s not that hard.”
A little pulse started beating in my temple. This was not how I wanted my day to go. I tried to keep my voice even. “I’m sorry, I honestly have no idea. I haven’t even looked at that section. Maybe we can find someone who actually works here?” I started to turn my head, looking for an actual employee in a uniform, someone with a nametag.
Before I could take a step, her hand shot out and grabbed my arm. Her grip was surprisingly strong, digging into my flesh. “Oh no you don’t! You’re not just going to walk away from me. You are going to help me find this item. This is your job, whether you want to admit it or not. I’ve seen your kind before. Lazy, unhelpful. I bet you’re just trying to avoid helping me because you think my request is beneath you.”
My blood began to feel hot. The touch on my arm felt wrong, violating. I pulled my arm away sharply, the skin stinging where her fingers had been. “Get your hand off me! I told you, I do NOT work here! Leave me alone!” My voice was louder now, probably a bit too loud for the quiet shop. Other shoppers were starting to glance over.
Her face went red, a splotchy kind of red. “How dare you speak to a customer like that! I’ll have your job for this! I’ll make sure you’re fired! You are the most unprofessional person I have ever encountered in my life! You think you can just assault a paying customer and get away with it?”
My breath was coming in short, sharp gasps. I could feel my muscles tightening, ready for a fight. My vision started to get blurry around the edges, focusing only on her angry face. “I didn’t assault you! You grabbed me! I told you to leave me alone!” The anger was a roaring fire inside me, consuming everything else. I felt an urgent need to escape, to make her stop, to make her disappear.
She took another step closer, her body language aggressive. “Oh, you’re going to regret this. I’m going to find your manager, and I’m going to tell them exactly how you treat people. You won’t have a job here for long, I promise you that. Mark my words, young lady, you are done. Finished. Kaput.” She pointed a finger right at my nose, almost touching it.
That was it. Something inside me snapped. The world went hazy, a dark red wash over everything. All I could feel was pure, unadulterated rage, like a physical weight pressing down on me, making my head pound. The thought of her touching me again, of her threats, pushed me over the edge. I didn’t think. I just reacted. My hand shot out, not caring where it landed, just wanting to push her away, to make her stop her shouting, to make her just be quiet.
There was a loud thud, and she let out a surprised gasp, stumbling back a step or two. The canvas bag she carried fell to the ground with a soft clump. Suddenly, a man in a blue shirt with a walkie-talkie was between us, his hands up. “Whoa, whoa, what’s going on here?” he said, his voice firm but surprised. Then two other people in uniforms were there too, looking serious. A crowd had formed, everyone staring.
The angry person was pointing at me, her voice shaking but still loud. “She hit me! She just assaulted me! Right here, in your establishment! I want her arrested!”
My chest heaved. I couldn’t speak, could only gasp for air. My hands were shaking. I could feel the cold stare of the security people. One of them, a woman, put a hand on my arm, not rough, but firm. “Ma’am, we need you to come with us.” I didn’t resist. I felt hollow, like all the energy had just drained right out of me. As they led me away, I could still hear her complaining, her voice getting fainter as we moved towards the front doors. I knew I was in deep trouble, but at that moment, I just felt a strange sort of calm, like a storm had finally passed, leaving only quiet destruction behind.
