Momma

vitriol
noun

1. See sulfuric acid.
2. Any of various sulfates of metals, such as ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, or copper sulfate.
3. Bitterly abusive feeling or expression.

I'm at the grocery. A woman is in front of me waiting at the Customer Service Desk. She is maybe 40-45, dressed a tad blowzily. Her shoulders and jaw are set in a pose of indignation. I admit it; I'm curious to hear.

When the customer service lady approaches, Ms. Indignant starts in. It seems she doesn't care for the store coupons her grocery customer card is generating. Specifically, she doesn't care for the ones for Depends incontinence pads and Ensure nutritional suppliment. She has NEVER purchased either product, and she NEVER intends to, so she wants those coupons stopped RIGHT AWAY. She is ANGRY and EMBARASSED that the cashier looked at them before handing them to her.

Customer Service Lady (CSL) explains that the coupons are directed based on past purchases, and perhaps Ms. I has purchased similar items in the past? CSL then offers that cashiers often look at the coupons to see if any can be applied to the particular transaction that generated them.

Ms. I is shaking her head throughout this explanation. Never. Never, never, never. She begins to heap abuse on CSL, who remains cordial, professional, even in the face of this undeserved onslaught. Ms. I is overwrought; her voice is quivering.

I want to ask if anyone she loves has cancer. Because I bought those same items for my mother at the end of her battle. I bought them because she was too weak to go out, and it was something I could do for her. She was weak and malnourished, and I too would probably want the coupons stopped once I had no use for them anymore, though I doubt I would have been able to muster the emotional energy to even approach the issue.

But I don't ask. I stand and wait my turn, letting her spill her vitriol even after CSL has offered her a new grocery customer card with no history (declined) and given her a number at Corporate she could call where someone might be better able to assist her. She sputters off finally and leaves, and CSL has to say, "May I help you?" twice before I realize she is addressing me.