Bad samaritan

My good deed for the day is done. I’d nipped into Glasgow this morning to pick up some last minute pressies for Louise. On my way back to the car I had to go and pay for my ticket, and of course two of the three machines were out of order and there was a small queue of people at the other one.

So I joined the queue, and gave Louise a quick call to see if I had to pick up her prescription before coming home. I did, the chemist shuts at 12 noon on a Saturday, I was 30 mins away in Glasgow and it was about 11:10 am.

The woman in front of me steps up to the machine. Then starts digging in her bag for her purse. She finally takes her money out, then realise she hasn’t yet put her parking ticket into the machine. Cue more digging about in her Mary Poppins style bag, and finally the ticket is found and thrust into the machine upside down. Twice.

Now considering we had been standing in a queue, you would think she could’ve looked out some money and her ticket before now but I thought I’d let that pass without comment.

The machine beeps at her, asking for 40p. She feeds a ten pound note into the paper money slot. The machines whirrs a bit, then beeps and sticks it back out at her. She takes it out, flattens it a bit, and feeds it back in. After the fifth time I eventually stepped round beside her and held my hand out.

“Here, take this” I said, and handed her two twenty pence pieces. I even managed a “don’t worry about it” generous smile.

Isn’t it amazing how my frustration and pent up shopping rage managed to make me a good samaritan.