Declined

Ahead of me in the cashier lane, a woman with a small basket of groceries fished in her old handbag. She stuck her card in the pay slot but all she got was the “card declined” sound. Groans came from the line … the woman looked at the floor … she mumbled to the cashier … tried another card … still, no go. The line shuffled … eyes rolled … except for one woman who strode straight away to the front of the line … said not a word … put her own card in the slot … said, “Merry Christmas!” … and was gone as quickly as she came.

Photo by Pixabay