financial aid and rants and raves

The week of spring break was hyper, but much of the pain I was fearing did not materialize. There was one situation though, that was both uncomfortable and telling. I was at the Wal-Mart in Monroe NY, getting my tires balanced. They were causing the whole car to shake, making driving both an adventure and painful for my back. The rate was cheap enough (only 5 bucks a tire) and one hour service. With that, I went to the Subway franchise inside the store, and bought a 6" meatball sub. The woman in front of me at the cashier was distressed, arguing over the quantity of meat in her sandwich, stating that she should get extra slices of cold cuts because her son didn't want veggies. She must be unfamiliar with the notion of portion control, as the sliced meat is weighed and partitioned before she ever gets to the counter. She would have been better off getting veggies galore and using them for a salad. The Indian clerk feigned ignorance. She ordered two sandwiches, and presented a coupon for payment, which was promptly rejected by the staff. She must not have known francises are not obligated to honor coupons from another store or discount program. When she re-presented her coupon and the stress was showing, I decided to size her up.

She was a little older than I, but toned and reasonably well appointed. She had a tan, and her purse was a nice leather handbag. Still, there was a plainness apparent when I looked closely enough. She wasn't wearing a great deal of make-up, and her jewelry was minimal. Mostly, I saw the shame she wore like an ill-fitting coat. She didn't argue about the coupon, although I could tell she was angry. She didn't pay for her meal either, and I knew she needed those sandwiches. She left her food and hurried out the door.

Without speaking to her, I could not find out what the problem was or if I could help. I certainly could have afforded the bill, and perhaps I should have stepped up and tried to make small talk. What was her situation? Was she broke because of the housing crisis? Did her mortgage adjust? Was she always scraping by? Would she have been insulted by my aid? Wal-Mart is for broke white people (joking....); was she embarrassed to be there? Could I have used this time to score with a MILF? I'll never know. I also don't know if this was isolated or a common occurrence. During the small time period I lived Upstate, this begging/bargaining was depressingly common. I never did get used to it, and I doubt I will now.