The Nice Thing About Strangers
Creative Non-Fiction Short Stories. :) Travel, Oldsters, Love, and Compassion.
It’s Not So Very Cold Here
The young man is sheepish about the avocados he’s placed at the check out. He’s looking at the cashier as she finishes the prior transaction. As soon as she turns to him, he tugs the sleeves of his sweatshirt down over his hands in anxiety. “Is, can you? Is this, you can measure them?”
She nods and puts the avocados on the register with a smile. “Yes, I can set them here…enter the item number, and…” They both look to the register’s screen, “And there you go! No problem.”
“Good. In my country, we do this differently.”
She lights up, “Oh wow, where are you from?”
“Chile.” He shrugs, begins counting out the cash for his purchase.
“Ohhhh,” the cashier lights up, tosses up a hand to indicate how fabulous his homeland must be, “Cheeeee-laaaaay, oh how how how nice.” She means it. “Do you like it here? Have you been here long? What do you think? Are you visiting? Are you a student here? Are you working here? Will you stay?”
He isn’t sure which question to answer, but wisely and hesitantly selects, “Yes, it is nice here. Kind of cold, though.”
She nods, growing even more proud. “It is, right? It’s cold here, right? Yes. It is cold, very cold.” As she is warm, she waves goodbye, and beams on.
–Vermont
Okay, that’s actually Iceland. I don’t have any pictures of Vermont. 🙂
The Nice Thing About Strangers 
Stunning!
Always love when you write these scenes where accents create awkward but still nice, human conversations. So much happens when people are lost in translation.
hope you are safe and warm – but I like te winter and the snow…
liebe Grüße Paige
Hi Maccabros–I don’t mind it when I’m bundled up. 🙂 I prefer the winter to the summer any day! Lg!
Uups- THE winter, sorry… 🙂
Bloody awesome
🙂 You are, Joanne! Thank you!
Paige