The girl was about my age. Her black hair hung in those wet stretched out types of curls – and a few of them were a dyed horrendous blonde. She wore a black shirt over a pair of too tight black pants – and she had painted an interesting patch of pink, silver and black on her eyelids. Her smile, as she greeted me, was one of the most endearing smiles I had ever seen. She was scared – it came out in her eyes – pleading at me to ask her a question that she knew the answer to…and if I had been a mind-reader I would have asked it, just so I could see her smile erase the fear in her eyes. “I’m new” – she said to me – and I understood. “It’s my first day”. she added, and I understood that, too. “You’ll be fine”, I offered, and waited for the manager.

I was in search of a new phone – a replacement for the phone I lost 3 months ago on my first ever cruise. I had been using my uncle’s black, masculine, industrial phone temporarily and was animate in my search and purchase of a feminine, cute phone. I have to admit also, that I was shopping to replace a void in my heart. At the moment that I walked into Radio Shack, a friend of mine who shall remain namless, was in the apple store, picking up his I-Phone. I had to shop. It was the only thing that would take away the pang of jealousy.

After finally deciding on a phone that would fit my budget, I stood waiting for Sprint customer service to unlock the phone. I stood in the store for 45 minutes. I’m usually not an impatient kind of person. But I was tired, having stayed up all night cleaning and sorting – and had just had a work out earlier that morning, too. I could feel my patience subsiding – and in its place my temper began to rise. Even the interesting characters that came into the store didn’t help – and they were interesting; A woman came to the counter with a camera hanging around her neck. She looked like she had just gotten back from some safari with her bermuda shorts and hankerchief tied around her neck. Then there was a father and his 3 sons (all under the age of 7, I think) that came in looking for some stereo equipment. The baby he held in his arms was content to flirt with me and the newest employee of Radio Shack – burying his head in his father’s shoulders after his chubby little fingers formed into a sort of wave. At the very end of the line to the cash register was a couple – and the woman was quiet and withdrawn next to her boyfriend. They stood apart from one another and I imagined that they had had some sort of a fight before they got into Radio Shack. She noticed me looking at her and held my gaze for a moment before fixing her eyes on her boyfriends right shoulder blade. She looked so sad.

Do you ever do that? Do you ever watch people so closely and intently that you begin to hear their stories inside of your head? Do you ever make yourself available to listen to stories that people tell you?

“There is a guy that works here – and he’s so fiiiine!” The girl behind the counter told me. “But I don’t think I’m going to stay here. I don’t know how to do anything!” “I really like kids, though.” She added, smiling at the little boy and his father. “See, kids like me!” The father seemed to pick up on some cue – standing at the counter a moment longer than he needed to and introduced his children. They politely asked her how she was, told her their names and ages, and when turning to leave said in perfect unison, “Nice to meet you!” My heart melted. The vibe in the store absolutely shifted. With the one thing that she knew how to do demonstrated to the customers in the store, Ms. Radio Shack began to work. She moved from the comfortable place behind the counter and started to actually look for things that people needed, she rang people up under the watchful multi tasked eye of her manager all the while politely refusing the obvious come on from Mr. “What do you mean I need to put a deposit down – my credit is good, Man!”. I felt that I had witnessed her complete orientation.

Anyways – I got my phone. 45 minutes after I walked into the Radio Shack – but I got my phone. And it’s cute – and pink. And even though it’s not the I-Phone I’m coveting like a well manipulated sheep, I’m pretty satisfied. An I-phone from Apple will run you about $500 bucks. But a baptism by fire at Radio Shack? … mmhm. Priceless.