I filled my car at the local supermarket and went in to pay. There are two tills, at one a woman was waiting while two members of staff were trying to to something with the till. At the other till a the cashier was watching events while a man stood in front of her, he was ahead of me in the queue.
There was much talk going on between the two staff at the one till, nobody else was saying anything. I assumed all tills had a problem and we were waiting for them to be sorted. I waited....and waited. The queue built up behind me. This being England we all waited in silence (apart perhaps for the occasional heavy sigh)
Finally one of the staff at the till said to the unoccupied cashier, can you phone the store and get someone over.
Nothing was said to the now ten or so customers waiting.
It was now or never, my chance to break through the veil of silence and stop the "hanging on in quiet desperation".
"Excuse me but could you tell us what is happening please?" I asked.
"We are trying to sort out a refund for this customer" He replied
"How long will it take? I asked, reasonably enough I thought.
"I don't know" was the curt reply.
"OK', said I, "I will go away and come back later then when you are ready for me to pay".
And now for the grand denouement...
"Oh that's not necessary, she can take your payment now," He said gesturing to the cashier next to him who had been idly watching the whole scene.
The chap in front of me in the queue then moved away...it seems he was with the woman who was waiting for a refund.
The cashier then proceeded to take my payment as if nothing had happened.
"Pump number please", in that bored Estuary twang that seems to be de rigueur in these situations
I paid but could not help wondering how long I would have waited if I had said nothing.
As I walked back along the now dozen person queue nothing more was said.
Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
John