Day 356: Laughter

The clerk didn't look at us as we loaded our stuff onto the conveyor belt. Mary and the four kids were there, scurrying around taking care of things and chattering away. I stood poised with my debit card. This was at the Walmart in Newton. The clerk's name tag said "Angelica." She didn't look like she was having fun. She didn't talk to us. She didn't smile.

But that was about to change.

"I've got a question for you," I told her, and she glanced up. "Can I pray for you?" This stopped her momentarily, and she leaned in -- "What?" So I asked her again: "Can I pray for you?" She paused for a moment longer and then burst out laughing. It was the kind of laughter you get from someone who's a little uncomfortable. Maybe it was her defense mechanism.

She asked me why I would want to pray for her. I told her I like to pray for someone everyday. She recited my answer back to me, still laughing. She told me I could pray for her, and then she said she never had anyone say something like that to her. She said she didn't know how to respond. "Just know that God loves you," I said. She told me that she knew that. "And that someone is thinking about you," I added. Again, she repeated my words back to me.

This whole encounter lasted about a minute, but the defining feature was her laughter. She just seemed to think it was funny -- or maybe she just didn't know what to think. Even as we were walking off, receipt in hand, we could still hear her cackling behind us. Maybe she'll tell the whole store about it.

By the way, it was hard to squeeze a prayer into all that commotion, so I told her I would pray for her when I got home, which I did.