So today was St. Nicholas’ Day. And as we are learning about holiday traditions from around the world, we read about St. Nicholas and (a day late–didn’t have necessary items in hand last night–ahem) tonight we are putting our shoes out in case St. Nicholas might do a return trip and swing back through here to fill our shoes with candy.
As I mentioned, we didn’t have the necessary things to make this happen, so after our tree hunt today, I asked the Fella to stop and let me run in the grocery store while he sat in the car with the littles. I dashed in, grabbed the goodies, and (a rare occurrence) was able to go through the express lane. I could have done the self-checkout but I worry about whether the sale prices will go through and frankly, I enjoy talking with the folks who work there.
Today did not disappoint.
The lovely lady in front of me was purchasing a gorgeous arrangement from the floral department. It was a plant with a poinsettia tucked in the bowl as well. BEAUTIFUL. Really. So much so that I had to say something.
Which I did.
“That’s beautiful,” I told the lady. (It just had to be said.)
She nodded and smiled. The cashier, Quintavious, jumped in and laughed, saying, “I know, isn’t it lovely? She got it for me. I am just in shock.”
He was so engaging and delightful that I couldn’t help but laugh and jump in the game.
“Oh yes, the customers here are the best in the world, aren’t they? Buying lovely arrangements for the wonderful folks who work here….” I teased.
“Yeah, I don’t get off until 7 tonight though, so I’m not sure what I will do with it.” The cashier looked perplexed as the customer smiled and finished making her payment.
“Well,” I said, “I guess you’ll have to let her take it home with her until you can get it home later, right?”
Quintavious looked at me like I had lost a little more of my mind than I actually have. “Oh noooooo. It will sit right here, and then when I go home, I will carry it in the house, and my Mama will reach out and say, ‘Oh you shouldn’t have,’ and I will say, ‘Oh I didn’t have…..’ and I won’t be letting go of it.”
I laughed again–it was his intonation and his voice inflection–‘Oh I didn’t have…..’ This young man missed his calling as a comedian.
After we both said goodbye to the lovely lady and the exquisite arrangement, we continued our conversation.
“That’d be ugly, wouldn’t it? If I went home and told my Mama that?”
Before I could answer, he dropped his tone. He gestured at the treats I was purchasing.
A little quieter than before, he said, “You know, not many people know about this, but I am a taste inspector.”
Because of his hushed tone, I mistakenly thought he said, “I am a taste and spitter.” (Which could, in essence, mean the same thing if you really think about it.) And yes, I probably do need my hearing checked. But he was talking quietly. Apparently he’s been certified and it’s a bit hush-hush.
“Yeah, not a lot of people have heard of it. But it’s a service. A service here in the store. I can check these”–he pointed to the chocolate– “and make sure they’re okay. You wouldn’t want to buy something bad, would you?”
No, Quintavious, no I wouldn’t.
He’s a giver all the way, that one.
If someone hadn’t been behind me in line, someone who wasn’t taking part in the banter, and if I wasn’t thinking that St. Nicholas will drop the whole bags in the shoes instead of individual candies (I’ve smelled the feet that go in these shoes–won’t nobody want to eat them if they go in without the protection of a bag), I would have opened a bag or two right then and had him taste test them.
Because his teasing reminded me of a few things.
First, life is more fun when we are interacting with people. I could have stood in the line and played with my phone. *sigh* Yeah. I’ve been known to do that. (When the magazine covers weren’t particularly interesting…..) But when we talk and say hello and open the door for conversation–oh, the joy that can bring!
Second, grocery stores have amazing floral departments. At least this one does. Note to self–if you ever have to take flowers anywhere…..
Third, Quintavious’ story reminded me of my Mama. When we were little and she’d bake chocolate chip cookies or peanut butter bars (ah the pre-food allergy days) with chocolate chips dropped in–basically anytime she’d use chocolate chips, she would call us in. We didn’t always know why, but once we saw the chocolate enter the equation, we started making sure we answered on the first call.
Mama would hand us each one or two chocolate chips, saying, “Oh I need someone to taste these chocolate chips and see if they’re okay. We wouldn’t want to use them if they were poisonous.”
Yeah.
She said that.
Morbid, I know.
But at the time, it was delightful. She played it up big, telling us how necessary it was for us to check them.
And we never had nightmares or anything. It made us laugh. And we felt very important.
Turns out there’s a title for that–a taste inspector (though “taste and spitter” is growing on me).
This evening I was making more of Mama’s cookies and, at the request of the Fella who was taking them to a shindig, I used our Star Wars cookie cutters. Cooter and Princess eventually helped with the cutting out. They are getting to be quite good at it. When the first ones came out of the oven, Cooter wandered over and looked at them appreciatively. He was about to reach for one, and I stopped him. “Don’t do that. Those are for Daddy’s get together.”
Cooter eyeballed Yoda for a long moment and said, “But Mama, I need to inspect it. I need to make sure they are good enough for Daddy to take. You wouldn’t want him to take bad cookies, would you?”
See, I’m a pretty proud Mama right now, because apparently, I have a certified taste inspector in my own home. I now know that’s a thing. Who knew? Maybe he’ll be able to get a job someday after all.
That’s a relief.
Tonight I’m thankful for the joy of happy memories–even the odd ones like taste testing chocolate chips to make sure they weren’t poisonous. I love the joy that is in this house when cookies are being made, even when they aren’t for us. And I give thanks for folks who do their jobs, no matter what it may be, with laughter and a joy-filled personality and who make others feel good when they are around them.
Would it be weird to call the store and find out when Quintavious is on the schedule and plan my grocery shopping accordingly? That was more fun than a little bit today. #stalkingnotstalking
As you go forth in your day, may you find joy in what you do and share the light of laughter and fun with all who cross your path.
Love to all.
I Might Need A Nap 