Val's Efforts to Be a Do-Gooder Are Thwarted by a Johnny on the Spot

I was in line at 10Box on Monday, behind a guy who was only buying a quart of ice cream. Or however much ice cream you get these days in that oval container. He was paying with cash, and came up short. According to the Young Guy Cashier, he needed 48 cents, after counting up three bills and coins.

I was reaching into my shirt pocket to pull out a dollar when another man walked across the end of the conveyor. "Hey, buddy. I gotcha." He counted out change and put it on the conveyor next to Ice Cream Guy's pile of cash.

"Thanks a lot! I'll look you up later and pay you back," said Ice Cream Guy as the donator proceeded into the store. "He's my neighbor."

Ice Cream Guy was quite talkative. He started telling a story of how he got in trouble for not showing up to court for resisting arrest and getting tased and it taking him two weeks to be able to walk again. How he hadn't even got notice that he was supposed to appear in court. How he'd gone to the courthouse to see if he had any charges, and they told him he had missed his court date and they'd sent him a letter. But the letter went to (another) neighbor's house, who refused it, and sent it back. 

Young Guy Cashier was counting up the money, so Ice Cream Guy had turned to me to tell his story. I'd already heard part of it on the chip aisle, when he was on the other side, telling an old man looking for peanuts that he had a 2.4 million dollar lawsuit against the cops, but he couldn't afford a lawyer.

I knew that old man was looking for peanuts, because he had his cart in the middle of the chip aisle, and apologized to me before rounding the corner. I don't think he knew Ice Cream Guy. I wondered why Ice Cream Guy didn't just get a lawyer that only takes part of the settlement if he wins. I didn't ask about it, because, you know, I really didn't want to engage.

After Ice Cream Man left, without even putting his ice cream in a bag, I told Young Guy Cashier, "I was ready to give him a dollar when that other guy showed up. Then you wouldn't have had to count all that change."

"Oh, I don't mind counting the change. It's just part of the job."

And here came Ice Cream Man back into the store! Saying, "I forgot I have $15 on my card!"

Not sure what he came back to get. But if he was short a few cents, I would still have given him the dollar. It's the thought that counts.

Hick To the Rescue. Again.

I got a late start to town on Saturday. Hick was already home from his SUS2.5 (Storage Unit Store 2.5), reclining in his recliner, bemoaning the heat. I was almost to the lettered county blacktop highway when I got a call from Hick. That was unusual. He knew I had just left for town. It was 5:30. 

"I just got a call from the apartments. Old Gal fell, and she can't get up. Her daughter can't get in the door, so she called for me to come unlock it. I'm leaving now."

Of course I hoped Old Gal was okay. It's never good when an elderly takes a tumble. It's also good that Hick was only sipping on a Diet Mountain Dew at the time, and could drive 20 minutes to town to take care of this incident. Seems like being 'on call' 24/7/365 should be worth more than 'less than $300 a month,' heh, heh!

Anyhoo... supper was delayed. Hick got home around 7:00. He said he and the daughter couldn't get Old Gal up, so they called the EMTs, who did it with no problem. They asked if she wanted to go to the hospital and get checked out. She asked her daughter, who said, "I don't think so. You just took your sleeping pill and fell down because you weren't using your cane. You're probably okay."

Hick said that yes, she seemed a little confused and was slurring some words, because of the sleeping pill. Her daughter says that's how it makes her react. She said her hip was hurting a little, but she was able to walk on it. They just put her back to bed. 

"What kind of floor is it?"

"It's tile for the bathroom, and carpet for the bedroom. She was kind of half on each. She got up for the bathroom, and fell on the way."

"Did she pee herself?"

"No. She tried to get in the bathroom and pull herself up, but she couldn't."

"Did they let her pee before putting her back to bed?"

"No."

"Well, that's not a good thing! I hope you don't have to go back."

"I gave her daughter a key. I think I'm going to put a drop box in there. So the fire department can get access to the keys when they need to get in and help somebody."

"Heh, heh! So you're just going to make sure somebody ELSE is on call for these things."

"Yeah, pretty much."

That Hick is such a helper. Though I would probably lie here for half a day or more if I took a tumble while he was in town...