nice people live in la too

Sometimes I get grumpy about speeding cars that almost mow down children walking in a crosswalk, or loud-voiced television people bragging about their careers while on a peaceful hike, or, you know, the fact that the sky isn't really blue. But yesterday I did experience a brief moment of niceness at the grocery store. This was not my usual grocery store and I did not, therefore, have the little membership card that allowed me myriad discounts. I said as such to the check-out lady because usually they have a little card up there that they'll swipe for you. This one seemed to be a stickler for rules, because she nervously informed me that they didn't like for the cashiers to do that. Oh well, I thought. But! Then the nice lady behind me put her phone number into my little machine, thus entitling me to my whole $4.00 worth of grocery store discounts. I attribute most of this niceness to the fact that I was not in my own neighborhood, where the person behind me would have impatiently sighed and tapped her foot during this encounter.