Catching Up

Nothing important has been happening around here except I had run out of Perfect Pink (Rose Parfait, as the French say.) There is only one store in town that carries cheap Red Heart yarn. Three days ago I went to buy more. None on the shelf except Baby Pink and Bright Pink. Asked a clerk, who luckily happened to be doing inventory in the same aisle on the beads. She pointed her reading tool at the label and said they would be getting three in - probably tomorrow. (Only three?) I decided to give them an extra day. Same story only there were no clerks insight. We came home and I decided to call on that wonderful invention, the telephone. The number listed in the book gave me a disconnect message. I tried the other phone book provided by Mid-Kansas. Great! A different number but it was answered, "Bakery." I asked for the store's main number and she gave it to me. When the main number answered, I asked for the yarn department. A short wait time and the operator (?) answerer (?) asked who I was calling. I repeated the yarn department. She told me she thought she had mixed up the calls. Another wait. She would try again. After a total of ten minutes on the phone, a man's voice answered, "Electronics." I told him I was waiting for the yarn department and he offered to transfer my call. After a fairly long wait, I heard, "Electronics." He tried again and I reached a person who could check on yarn for me!! After a walk to the department, she said there was some in the back room. How many did I want? Four! She would leave them at the fabric cutting table with my name on them. I was so thrilled. Another trip back to the store. The woman at the cutting table had no clue what I was talking about. She said she thought they would have left her a note. But she looked and there they were...four skeins of Perfect Pink. There were long lines at the check out so I picked the fifteen items or less row. A gentleman ahead of me had just a few groceries. I said, "Speedy check-out," because there was a problem at the head of the line. He offered to let me go ahead and I said, "No, that's ok." After the problem ahead of him was settled, his groceries were checked out and he handed the clerk what looked like a blank check. She ran it through a machine which promptly chewed it up after rejecting it twice. They tried another check. Same result. Clerk took the machine apart, removed a ribbon and a piece broke off. Another clerk brought a ribbon and the procedure was completed. The man signed the electronic pad (is this a debit transaction?) The clerk returned the "check." The gentleman turned to me and said, "I'll bet you wish you had gone ahead of me." I laughed and said, "Yes and next time the offer is made, I'll say, 'Thank you.'"