Sweet like...

Disclaimer: Nothing like this would happen in our state, where DMV employees are unfailingly courteous and there’s hardly any waiting for service.

Louisa needed to renew her driving license with the motorcycle endorsement. She brought all the required documents. But, after taking a number—82, when the current number was 16—she waited and she waited and she waited.

Just as number 81 was called, the clerks all but one put up those little signs, “Gone to Lunch.”

Louisa was a patient woman, so she definitely was not muttering curses—of course not!

When she finally got to the counter, the clerk was clearly hungry and impatient at being the one employee left behind to deal with irritated customers. He treated Louisa as if she was a child; he talked loudly and slowly and repeated requests in a snippy voice.

That ordeal over, Louisa went to buy a baseball bat for her grandson.

“Cash or charge?” asked the clerk.

Louisa snapped, “Cash!” And then she was immediately apologetic. “Sorry! I’m still so irritated at the DMV. It took hours of waiting, and then the clerk was rude. But I shouldn’t take out my frustration on you.”

The clerk smiled and asked, “Should I gift-wrap this, or will you be going back to the DMV?”