Another Nail in the Coffin

So.... I ran to Kroger with The Big One and The Little One yesterday for a few groceries. We hopped into the express lane, counting to make sure I had no more than the 15 items allowed. Anything else would have been un-Belle-like. There was one person paying, one waiting, us, and someone came up behind us. I knew immediately she wasn't from around here. She looked more like someone from NJ or Long Island. We'll call her "Snooki." The woman paying decided she wanted to purchase prepaid Visa debit cards in varying amounts. Not really an express-lane type of transaction, but I took a deep breath and let it go. It ended up taking 3 managers about 10-15 minutes to fix whatever issue they were encountering. I couldn't move to another register as I had already unloaded my items onto the belt.

Snooki decided that she wasn't pleased about what was going on, and loudly voiced her opinion to no one in particular. She was using the "F" word. Loudly. And often. Even when I was more New Jersey than Georgia I never would have done that, but it's not something that would have been too out of the realm of possibility to witness. I pointedly covered The Big One's ears, hoping she'd get my point and mind her manners. I think the man she was with must have noticed because she lowered her voice all the while continuing with the same unflattering vocabulary. I could tell she was ramping up to let the poor cashier have it, so I paid for my items, wished the cashier luck, and headed out the door as quickly as I could so as to avoid the carnage. Being the fabulous mother I am, I used this as a lesson to The Big One about how we need to mind our manners in public (and private) because people form opinions of us (and how our mommies and daddies raised us) based upon our actions and there's a right way and a wrong way to express our dissatisfaction with the service we receive.

As I was loading the children and the groceries into the car, out they came. She was still swearing up a blue streak. I got everyone into the car and closed the doors before she got any closer. As I was thinking about how horrified and offended I was by the Snooki's behavior and the scene she caused, I realized I was yet another step closer to being a Belle.

I might have even had the vapors.