stories and souls (a double drabble)

Between trying to decide which bagels to put in her baker’s dozen and then adding numerous other items, it took me the same time to complete her order as the 5 or 6 my manager took. As we finally finished up her order she held out a shaking left hand and said:

We just had our 23^rd anniversary “(wow, congratulations!)” and one of the stones in my ring came out recently. So for the first time in 23 years I have my ring off to get fixed and sized. Look.

And I could see the indent her ring had left.

…

There weren’t any other customers in line, just this one guy who comes in all the time. He’s a biker with the typical tattoos and tank tops and he’s super nice. The other day as I grabbed his double chocolate cookie he talked about how his daughter was finishing her master’s degree and graduating with a 4.0. He was so proud of her, and he was so eager to share.

~

It’s good to remember the customers aren’t just faces ordering food. They’re not just complainers. They're fathers, and couples, and sons, and widows. They’re people with stories and souls.