Erin’s life changes completely when her husband’s affair is revealed. In a turn of events, she loses her job and takes the role of a cashier at the local grocery store. Everything is fine until an entitled customer comes into the store, forcing Erin to keep calm and professional.
My life took a complete turn at 38 years old. I’m a mother to three kids: Emma (15), Jack (9), and Sophie (7), and I’ve gone from being a project manager at a mid-sized tech company while raising my children to working in a grocery store.
Freezers in a grocery store | Source: Pexels
This is what happened.
The first cracks came in gradually, all stemming from James, my husband.
“James, are you coming to bed?” I asked one night as he sat on the couch, staring blankly at the TV.
A man sitting on a chair | Source: Pexels
“In a bit,” he muttered, not looking up. “Just need to finish this.”
“Finish what? The TV’s off.”
He sighed, running a hand through his hair, before lying flat.
“Work stuff, Erin. Can we not do this right now?”
A man lying flat on a couch | Source: Pexels
I could sense something was wrong, but amidst the chaos of work and family, I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Then, one devastating evening, I discovered the truth. James had been having an affair.
“How could you do this to us?” I cried, tears streaming down my face. “To the kids?”
A silhouette of a couple | Source: Pexels
James looked down, unable to meet my gaze.
“I’m sorry, Erin. I never meant for it to get this far.”
The stress from the divorce piled onto the already immense pressure at work. My job’s demands became unbearable as I tried to navigate the emotional wreckage of my home.
A crying woman | Source: Pexels
The focus and sharpness I once prided myself on were slipping away, and I struggled to keep up with the relentless pace of my job.
“Erin, I need those reports by the end of the day,” my manager, Lisa, reminded me gently. “I know things are tough right now, but we need to stay on track.”
A woman sitting at a table | Source: Unsplash
“I’m trying, Lisa,” I replied, my voice shaky. “It’s just… everything is falling apart.”
And it all became too much. Lisa, though sympathetic to my situation, was left with no choice when my productivity plummeted.
A woman looking at her laptop and holding her head | Source: Pexels
“Erin, we have to let you go,” Lisa said, her eyes full of regret. “I tried to keep you, but my hands were tied on this one. I’m so sorry.”
Losing my job felt like the final blow in a series of relentless hardships. The financial strain only added to the emotional burden of my divorce.
A woman holding her head | Source: Pexels
I knew that I had to find another job quickly to support my children, but the job market was tough, and positions that matched my qualifications and previous salary were few and far between.
“Will we be okay?” Emma asked me one morning as I buttered toast for her and her siblings.
Buttered toast on a plate | Source: Midjourney
“We will,” I said. “We will be just fine. I have an interview today, and it’s going to be the right match for us. I promise, darling. Don’t you worry about us.”
“But I am worried, Mom,” Emma said, taking a bite of toast. “I don’t want to live with Dad.”
A teenage girl | Source: Pexels
My heart ached. I couldn’t let them down.
Desperation led me to apply for a cashier position at a local grocery store.
“Look, I know it’s not what you’re used to, Erin,” the manager, Mr. Adams, told me. “But this job is stable. We can offer you stability and a steady income.”
A person holding a contract | Source: Pexels
“I know,” I agreed. “It’s just that I have three children to care for, too.”
“I understand,” he said. “We can look at a raise in three months.”
A cashier at a grocery store | Source: Midjourney
The change was difficult, but it allowed me to be there for my children in a way that I hadn’t been able to before. The predictable hours meant I could attend school events, help with homework, and tuck my kids into bed every night.
“I like this, Mom,” Sophie said as I tucked her into bed. “You’re not always with your laptop.”
A little girl tucked in bed | Source: Pexels
“I agree,” Jack said from his corner of the room. “Mom’s always here now.”
But as always, despite things seeming positive in one way, life was always going to throw curveballs my way.
A little boy sitting on the bed | Source: Pexels
Yesterday was different. A mother with two teenage children came into our supermarket. She was dressed in expensive designer clothes, as were her two children.
When she came to the register, I started ringing up her groceries in an autopilot mode. I was tired and just wanted the day to be over. I wanted to get home for pizza night with my kids.
A woman wearing expensive clothes | Source: Pexels
“What’s with the face, dear? Why aren’t you smiling at your customers?” she asked me, tapping her long nails on the counter.
I had been working all day and I had forgotten to plaster a smile across my face.
“I’m sorry,” I said to her, taking things out of the cart.
A full shopping cart | Source: Midjourney
Then I smiled at her and continued to do my job.
But, of course, it didn’t end there.
“I’d have that face too, if I worked here. Your face looks mean because you don’t earn enough. That’s why you’re miserable.”
A close-up of a woman | Source: Midjourney
The other customers in the line looked shocked, while I became red from the embarrassment.
I wasn’t embarrassed by my job; I was grateful for it. But it was her ugly comment that made me want to curl into a ball.
A shocked woman | Source: Pexels
Just as I handed her the last bag, she screamed loudly when one of her kids bumped into the cart, still holding onto his iPhone. The cart tipped over, spilling all the groceries onto the floor with a loud bang, followed by glass shattering.
Expensive bottles of wine were spilling onto our floor, soaking through the artisan bread and gourmet cheese.
Bottles of wine on display | Source: Unsplash
The woman’s face turned bright red as she snapped at her child, humiliated.
“Michael! Watch what you’re doing! You clumsy idiot!” she shrieked.
“I’m sorry, Mom,” he muttered, pocketing his phone and looking around.
A teenage boy | Source: Pexels
I quickly bent down to help pick up the undamaged items, maintaining my composure.
“It’s alright, accidents happen,” I said softly, while the other customers watched the scene unfold.
Mr. Adams approached as the woman and her children scrambled to gather their things.
A man wearing a uniform | Source: Unsplash
“Ma’am,” he said politely. “It seems you might need some help. We can replace the broken items, but you’ll need to pay for them.”
The woman, now visibly flustered, handed me her credit card with a huff.
“There,” she said.
I swiped it, but the transaction was declined. I tried again, but the result was the same.
A person holding a card | Source: Pexels
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but your card has been declined,” I said, trying to remain as professional as possible, but my insides were doing cartwheels as karma dished it out for the woman.
“That’s impossible,” she said. “This must be a mistake. I’ll call someone to sort this out.”
She dialed a number and put the phone to her ear, but there was no answer. She tried again, and again, but the person on the other end did not respond.
An angry woman | Source: Unsplash
The growing line of customers behind her began to murmur and exchange looks, some shaking their heads in disbelief, while others grew impatient.
Mrs. Jenkins, a regular customer, stepped forward with her bread and milk, ready to join another line.
“Looks like karma has its own way of working things out,” she said with a smirk. “Maybe next time you’ll think twice before being so rude to others.”
Milk and bread in a shopping basket | Source: Midjourney
With no way to pay and no one answering her calls, the woman was forced to wait in the store.
“I can get you a chair, ma’am,” Mr. Adams offered.
“No. I’m fine,” she said stiffly at the end of my counter, clearly mortified.
She waited for at least over an hour, her children sitting sullenly nearby, the humiliation palpable.
A woman holding her head | Source: Unsplash
“Can’t we call a cab and go home?” the daughter whined. “My phone battery is about to die and I have things to do.”
The woman rolled her eyes.
“Enough, Gemma,” she said. “I don’t care what you need to do. We will wait for your father.”
A teenage girl | Source: Unsplash
Soon enough, the father showed up, looking important in his suit. Immediately, he turned his anger on his kids.
“How could you be so careless? Do you know how much this is going to cost?” his voice echoed. “No allowances for you both.”
“And you,” he said, turning to his wife. “Can’t you manage a simple shopping trip without causing a scene? This is why I told you to leave it up to the cook.”
The entire store watched as he berated them. He gave me his card and nodded to me.
A person holding a card | Source: Pexels
“Make it quick, please,” he said. “I’ve got to get back to work.”
When I was done, he grabbed the bags and stormed out of the store, not waiting for his family to follow.
“You handled that with grace, Erin,” Mr. Adams said. “Go on, get your things and get home to your kids.”
I intended to, a pizza party awaited me.
Trays of homemade pizza | Source: Midjourney
What would you have done?
‘I’m in charge here!’ A wealthy man makes a flight attendant cry, but an elderly woman steps in and puts him in his place
Karl’s company was about to move to new heights, and this only reinforced his growing arrogance. However, after mistreating an air hostess on his flight to a life-changing meeting, Karl is finally humbled.
Karl was a middle-aged man well on his way to the big leagues. His company was about to become a subsidiary of a large multinational corporation.
Karl came from humble beginnings and had worked all of his life to finally get to this point in his career. He was set to travel to Chicago to sign his deal, and he was over the moon.
Karl had long awaited this moment, and he was set on enjoying it as much as he possibly could. He got himself a business-class ticket to celebrate his new venture.
His newfound success was beginning to go to his head, and Karl became a little reckless with his behavior and how he treated people. As he sat in his business-class seat, he pompously took in the view that surrounded him. This was his first time in business class.
“It’s about to be one hell of a celebration,” he said to the man sitting next to him.
“Oh, really!? What are we celebrating?” the man asked.
“I’m on my way to Chicago to sign the contract of a lifetime. This is definitely a champagne moment,” a cheerful Karl explains.
“Oh wow. That’s great. I’m happy for you,” the man said.
“What is this? The audacity! You take thirty minutes to bring me my champagne, and it’s warm!? Are you serious?”
“Hey! A chilled bottle of your best champagne!” Karl barked to the air hostess, snapping his fingers rather rudely.
“No problem, sir. I’ll attend to you in a second,” the air hostess kindly responded.
Thirty minutes went by, and Karl became agitated because he still hadn’t received his order. The air hostess finally came with Karl’s champagne, and Karl was not pleased at all.
“So? What took you so long? I’ve been waiting for about half an hour?” Karl barked at the air hostess.
“I’m so sorry about that, sir. I had to handle something in economy class,” the air hostess calmly responded.
“What is this? The audacity! You take thirty minutes to bring me my champagne, and it’s warm!? Are you serious?” Karl snapped, shoving the champagne bottle to the floor.
“I’m sorry, sir! I just—” the air hostess nervously started before being interrupted by a further agitated Karl.
“Stop with the excuses! Just do your job! I am your boss here! You understand?” Karl barked, the rest of the passengers now looking on at his spectacle.
As he was going off at the air hostess, who did her best to hold back her tears, an elderly woman, Anna, stepped into the business class cubicles. Karl was astonished to see the Chief Executive Officer for the very company he was about to sign to. Anna went straight to the air hostess and greeted her warmly.
“Thank you for what you did for me,” Anna said.
“It’s no problem. It was my pleasure,” the air hostess said, feigning a smile as she wiped her tears.
“Why are you crying?” Anna asked, concerned. Karl uncomfortably shifted to the side as the air hostess turned to look at him, with Anna following.
“Well, I think you should apologize to this young lady.”
“Uhm… Just… I just had a little disagreement with this gentleman here. That’s all,” the air hostess said, trying her best to conceal her hurt and frustration.
“Karl? What are the chances of us being on the same flight?” Anna said, shocked to see Karl and curious about what role he had to play in the air hostess’s sudden sadness.
“Uhm… Anna, yes, it’s a surprise to see you here. Why are you in economy class?” Karl hesitantly asked.
“Well, it saves me money to give to charity and other worthwhile causes. And you? Why are you making this woman’s job more difficult than it has to be? I heard you all the way from my section,” Anna said.
“Uhm… No, it’s just that she took forever to bring me my champagne, and it was warm when it arrived. Poor service delivery,” Karl said, sticking to his arrogance.
“Well, I think you should apologize to this young lady. While you were waiting on your champagne, I had an asthma attack, and she was kind enough to drop everything and attend to me. She saved my life,” Anna explained to Karl rather firmly and with conviction.
“Saved you?” a confused Karl asked.
“Yes, that’s what held up your champagne. I’m sorry about that. But don’t be so rash as to call out people on doing their job when you don’t understand the full scope of things. Take this as advice from someone who would’ve been your boss,” Anna said.
“Uhm… ‘Would’ve,’ ma’am?” Karl nervously asked.
“Karl… I have lots of money, but what would I do with them if my life was in the hands of the stewardess today? Never put yourself above other people. You may need their help. Anyways, we’ll conclude this conversation in Chicago,” Anna coldly said before turning to the air hostess with a smile. “And thank you again, my dear.”
“I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have treated you like that,” Karl said to the air hostess.
“It’s okay,” she responded.
Anna walked out of the business class section, leaving Karl completely perplexed. Karl became nervous about his contract when their flight finally landed in Chicago.
As fate would have it, Anna retracted the offer to Karl’s company, and the deal never ended up happening.
What can we learn from this story?
Never put yourself above others. Karl’s arrogance made him treat people wrongly, but it worked against him in the end.
Kindness goes a long way. The air hostess dropped everything to help Anna, and her kindness brought Anna to her defense later when Karl was mistreating her.
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