stinky foot turkey

my want of a veggie burger wrap, with all the fixins, came on at a thundering clip.

i beat it to the land of 'sandwich artists' with a quickness. fellow lunchers called out for terriyaki chicken on honey oat and turkey (non-stinky foot variety) on oregano parmesan. it was a festive noon-tide, the hour of the pleasantly hungry- people for whom breakfast is still a close memory and dinner only a few, scant hours away.

my sandwich artist had huge black discs in her ears and a cheerful demeanor. even offered to warm up my tortilla for me. mmm, yes please.

as i reached the register, a woman beseechingly asked for a manager. dull-witted non-artistic register gal said-
"manager won't be back 'till five. come back then."

beseecher replied-
"you see, the last time i came, they forgot to put the last two stamps on my card. i bought a foot long. what i'm wondering is, will you honor it?"

my creme of the crop wrap maker said to dull register gal-
"i trust her. go for it."

but DRG didn't hear her and so, sent the beseecher on her way, sandwichless. i wanted to jump in and facilitate the thing. to make register gal listen to sandwich artist and get this woman her meatball sub. it shouldn't be so hard. but i just didn't.

a rusted out diesel compact parked next to my car. clothes piled up in the back. a big guy stepping out to throw something in the dumpster. i looked in the window and saw the beseecher. she was unwrapping the skinniest, squarest, scrawniest sandwich. on the kinda bread you get for 99 cents and feed to ducks.

she bit in.

i thought of the luxury that is instant gratification. i'm not flush with cash, but a veggie wrap isn't beyond my means. it isn't even an afterthought.

i thought of the women in tinkling escalades i've seen throw tantrums over their coffee to milk ratio at starbucks.

but this woman, the beseecher, she wouldn't fight over those two stamps. either because she's used to settling for less, or because she doesn't think she deserves them, or maybe she's embarrassed. and i think she really would've enjoyed that sandwich, had fate swung her way, or had i spoken up, or had the register gal been a little less oblivious.

but it wasn't her day.