A surprisingly intricate, but entirely pleasant, encounter in the bakery area of Marks & Sparks, near the bus station... I was wandering around rather haplessly, my usual graying-academic look, with the relaxed but indecisive style I evidently have when presented with a huge array of possible meals. Although I don't eat much bread, I thought it would be nice to have a loaf of something hefty – something with seeds and such – and so was scanning the shelves, and having to move around a slightly older woman (50s or 60s) on a ladder, who was moving loaves from shelf to shelf. She had glasses, and was wearing the store uniform, but seemed relaxed, like someone's mother or grandmother working in her own kitchen.
She and I engaged – some humor, some banter, some where-do-you-come-from, some what-are-you-looking-for. It must be a good place to work – she was completely relaxed about stopping what she was doing and talking to customers (and in fact other people working in the store would occasionally, politely, ask if I needed any help – also in a relaxed manner – they must have a good manager). The speed, the rapid changes of topic, persona, rhetoric, and relationship that older and more experienced people can indulge in for their own social amusement – we were both having rather kaleidoscopic fun with each other, moving from the breads to the Battenberg cakes and their status as unhealthy temptations... anyway, I did buy one (as usual, it was gone within about twelve hours, whatever I promised at the time).
Hey, it was out of my control, she handed it to me and said the more gracious equivalent of, 'G'wan.'
A fine passage of the everyday made lighter, more enjoyable....
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