Some recent remarks about shopping in supermarkets brought this incident to mind. A couple of years ago I was shopping at the Publix. I was dragging my ass and couldn’t wait to get home. I got into the wrong line – the 10 or less line, and my cart was loaded. When I realized my mistake, I told the cashier I would re-load my cart and go to the next line but she said not to bother. I apologized to the cashier and to the customers behind me.

A guy in line said, yeah, right, you made a mistake and he snorted, insinuating that I was gaming the system and this was my m.o., one of those people who thought the world owed her.

I apologized to him again, trying to get him to realize I was telling the truth. And he wouldn’t accept my apology. So I looked him in the eye, and said, “Sweetie? Why don’t you just go fuck yourself?” And everyone clapped.

The beauty part is that women in these parts don’t say things like that. It was priceless.

That was the kid from Chicago’s Madison Street talking … she comes in handy now and then.