That's the best way to describe her. She wasn't in a good mood, working at Walmart on the Fourth of July. "I don't want to be here today," she said as I asked how her day was going. Isabella and I were checking out then with some flour, ground beef and chocolate chips -- last-minute items for the 4th.
The cashier didn't smile at us or greet Isabella as she plopped the chocolate chips on the counter. I said that I hoped the woman's shift wouldn't be a long one today. She said that also was a problem. She got off at 2:30 p.m. So not only did she have to work July 4, she also didn't get to work that many hours. I took it that she figured that if she had to come in on a holiday, she wanted to work some real hours to make it worthwhile.
I never saw her smile. I also, at that moment, didn't say anything to her. There were a bunch of people in line by that point and the cashier's supervisor came over then, so I just took our bags and walked off with Isabella. But we didn't leave. After Isabella was buckled into her car seat and we were sitting there in the parking lot, we waited for a long five minutes while I just thought about that woman. It would be wrong to leave without saying something to someone who was having such an obvious bad day.
So I dreamed up something else to go purchase -- pop. We don't drink pop normally, but our rule is that the kids can have all they want on the Fourth of July. It's one perk of our freedom, if only for a day.
So Isabella and I went in, got some pop and got in the same line we were in before. The cashier's mood was worse than before, if anything. A guy in overalls was standing right next to me waiting his turn. But I had to say something. "Ma'am. I would like to pray for you today." She said that would be fine. "I'm really tired," she said. So I told her I would pray for her and wished her a good day. I didn't pray for her right then. There wasn't time, and it wouldn't have been appropriate.
When we got back to the van, Isabella and I did pray for her, asking God to give the woman more hours to work and more happiness in working them. Hopefully, God also will make himself known to her in some way today.
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