The Dirty Penny

Raccoon Ridge Ramblings is proud to introduce its first Guest Blogger.  Susie read about my bad luck at the corner store in Evaporation 101 and was reminded of this morning in her past.

After working all night long, I went to the PX on base. The cashier had rung up my transaction and wasn't going to give me my change due (which was a penny).  I've noticed now that many cashiers opt not to provide change back if it is less than 2-3 cents.  I stood there earnestly waiting for my 1 cent change.

With a look of utter disgust, the teller finally reached into her till and handed me the most filthy, corroded penny, with green/blue discoloration, so much that you could not make out which president was gracing the coin. It was a horrible penny.  In my totally sleep deprived state, I stood there looking at this penny, shocked into immobility.

The teller had already given a nod to the next customer behind me, and pretended to ignore my disappointed reaction.

Before the next person moved into my space, I mumbled to the cashier, "Umm excuse me, but could I please get another penny?  This one seems to be very corroded".

The teller, who, by now, was feeling very put-out and annoyed by my petty concerns and time-consuming antics, opened her till with a big sigh, and pulled out a better, more shiny piece of alloy in the form of a 1 cent coin.

Knowing that I had crossed the line between sanity and insanity (which, to those who work night shifts and try to do errands the next morning, can fully understand), I quickly offered up what I thought would be a logical reasoning for my petty concern. I said, "I am sorry to bother your about this, but my children put these in their mouths!"

 The lady gave me a look to kill, and I quickly headed to the exit, straight home and into bed !

If you have a story about your misfortune at the convenience store, or if you would like to be a Guest Blogger, leave a comment below.