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It was a Sunday morning, and I found myself grumpy enough, refueling the family car. This was one of those petrol stations that also functions as a supermarket, so you run the risk of waiting behind customers carrying goods of slightly overpriced groceries. It's an awful situation to happen when your only desire is to pay for some fuel. Awful.

My position was fourth in the queue. A single person serving, a female attendant. Something stood out in her demeanor. After the ditherer at the front of the queue had finally paid for a cleaning product, his pastry, and his box of eggs, I could have sworn overhearing the cashier tell him to have a great day. Unusual. Perhaps I’d misheard, or possibly she uttered it and was being sarcastic. I wondered if perhaps she was a comrade in my battle with dithering, sharing my contempt for individuals slowing down people just getting gas such as myself.

I moved up, to third in the queue. The new leader of our group discharged her fuel-only transaction with impressive quickness. Once more it happened: “Wishing you a marvelous day.” In fact, it was “enjoy a truly great day”. Someone from the US? In Stourbridge? She had the accent, and few locals tells people those exact words, or simply a good day. Quite out of place. Rarely does one encounter people from America knocking around Stourbridge, certainly not working in petrol stations or anywhere else.

I was second now. Behind a poor older woman embroiled in a right old battle with her shopping cart, her food items, her handbag and her membership pass. The process dragged on. When she was done, she too was wished to have a fantastic day. Yes, American for sure. I might have verified it by making a witty remark at the cashier, to see if she did that response their typical stare, stoically, and state very earnestly: “That is quite humorous.” Yet no idea came of anything hilarious to say.

In the end, I embraced for the absolute sincerity – or a performance of it, essentially the same as identical in effect – while she stared straight at me, deep into my soul, and told me an awesome day. It improved my mood. Beneficial indeed.