Extraordinary Patience

the man behind the 7-Eleven counter breathes in, when the customer struggling to get their discount card to read on the scanner becomes more frustrated with each passing moment, he has extraordinary patience, because this one is representative of the vast menagerie of stressed out people on their way to one destination close or far, who have found it essential for whatever reason, to stop here & perform their ritual of insanity--- the man’s motions are slow but deliberate & the routine of punching the buttons is one that he could do with his eyes closed--- no one who comes through that door with the bell knows his story, no one knows if he goes home to an empty house or if he has a family, no one knows how long he has worked at this particular 7 Eleven--- all anyone knows is that the movements are flawless, that he has perfected the art of ringing up someone for gas & small items of junk food, comfort food, or survival foods for the road (however you define them), like a man who stands superior over any of us having mastered a skill, setting the bar for all who attempt it later & tomorrow is another working day, as will be the next.