I'm not a Grinch...I'm not a Grinch...

...I'm not a Grinch. Dammit.



After work today, I ran by Aldi's to grab some of their cheapcheapcheap frozen shrimp to make shrimp cocktail and some fresh mushrooms (also cheap) to make stuffed mushrooms.

For those of you not familiar with Aldi's, it's a sort of...I dunno...warehouse, I guess...kinda grocery store. They have carts, but you hafta insert a quarter into this little gizmo that attaches each cart to the next. I suppose that's to guarantee that people will bring their own cart back (you get the quarter back when you return it) instead of leavin 'em out in the middle of the parkin lot like they do at Kroger.

Aaaanywho, as I was walkin up to the store, another woman was bringin a cart back. Rather than have her put her cart back, get her quarter back, then me havin to stick my quarter in, I just held out my quarter...bypassin the middle man, so to speak. She smiled and shook her head.

"Someone gave it to me and wouldn't take my quarter, so just take it. Merry Christmas!"

I smiled and thanked her and returned her cheery "Merry Christmas" and went on in the store for my shrimp and 'shrooms, thinkin that I'd "pay it forward" when I got done.

Honest ta gawd, I fully intended to. But.

As I came outa the store, I looked around. The only person that was on their way into the store was this very well-dressed, snooty-lookin broad with a disgusted, snarly look on her face. To be honest, she didn't look like the kinda woman who shopped at Aldi's on a regular basis, if ya know what I mean. She kinda looked like she smelled somethin bad, ya know? That sneery kinda look?

She looked at me and demanded, "Here. I'll take that", holding out a quarter between her thumb and forefinger. Didn't even crack a smile.

I paused...maybe half a second...turned loose of the cart...and grabbed the quarter.

Yea, I know. Maybe if I'd have just given it to her like the first gal did me, she'd have appreciated it. Maybe she was just havin a bad day. Maybe I shoulda set an example. Maybe I shoulda been a bigger person.

Fuck that.

I'll "pay it forward" the next time...to somebody who I know will appreciate it.