Palm Print

Chapter 3

"It's $45.20," I began, "do you have a Fry's credit card with us?"

The woman shook her head slightly, rolling her eyes. "No," she snapped. She flipped her short blonde hair, and the Chihuahua in her shopping cart began to growl.

She inserted her card and tapped furiously on her phone. The card declined. She tried again. Declined. The register printed a small receipt: "insufficient funds." She was not going to like this.

"Excuse me, ma'am, do you have a different form of payment?" I asked.

Her brows furrowed, and she bit her lip. I instantly regretted asking. I braced myself for her tirade.

"No!" she shouted. "This is the only card I have with me, and I know there's enough money on it because there's over $5,000 on it."

"Ma'am, I'm sorry, but it's requiring a different form of payment."

"Are you fucking dumb? Didn't I tell you this is the only card with me? There's plenty of money on this card. Your machine is broken. What is it saying on your side? Or can you not read?"

Oh, this bitch wanted to get slapped. My eyes twitched, my jaw clenched, and I gripped the counter so tight that my fingers went numb. I took a breath, calming myself.

Being polite, I replied, "Ma'am, it's saying you have insufficient funds on your card." I handed her the receipt with a condescending smile. "Now, do you have another form of payment, ma'am?"

"Where is your manager?" she demanded.

"Up your ass. That's where," I thought to myself. I wanted to continue playing dumb, but I was tired of dealing with this evil witch. Manager Kelly was busy helping another customer.

"I'll get her for you," I answered.

I walked over to Kelly and explained the situation. She looked over my shoulder, noticing the woman, and groaned, her eyes sinking.

"Jennifer. Just great," Kelly whispered.

Jennifer. So this was Jennifer. She stared at us, her hazel eyes twitching. She fidgeted while tapping her foot and huffing. For someone dressed like a businesswoman, she was one of the most unprofessional people I'd ever met.

Kelly approached her, and I followed, attempting to prolong my inevitable return. Jennifer cussed out Kelly, and I didn't know how Kelly did it. The fact that she knew this woman by name meant she did this on a routine basis. Jennifer pointed at me.

"This blonde idiot was rude, obnoxious, and unprofessional!" Jennifer shouted.

Was she calling me rude and obnoxious? I looked around, noticing the customers watching her. One of them began filming, and I hoped the video would go viral. This behavior should never be acceptable.

"I'm sorry for your experience," Kelly began. "I'll suspend your order and take you to the customer service desk to help you there."

"You're going to go out of business with your rude customer service," Jennifer stated while tapping furiously on her phone.

She glared at me. I knew I shouldn't do it, but I didn't care. I gave her the biggest smile.

"Do you think this is funny?" Jennifer shouted.

"Like, no," I began, my tone playful. "Like, I have no clue what's going on. I was only trying to do my best to help you. Like I'm sorry."

Jennifer began to respond, but Kelly interjected. "I'll take you to customer service." As Jennifer walked away, Kelly glanced at me, slightly smiling and biting her lip.