Judith’s bad day turns worse when she runs into an ‘annoying’ elderly man at the grocery. She’s quick to disrespect him, calling him an old coot. But when fate intervenes, Judith learns a lesson she’ll never forget.
Judith’s morning began with a heated argument with her husband, Mark. “You never listen to me, Mark!” she shouted in anger. “How hard is it for you to let me know if you’re getting off work late?”
Mark slammed his coffee cup on the counter. “And you always overreact, Judith! I can’t deal with this right now. Please, I have an important meeting!”
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Judith knew continuing the argument would only infuriate her further. She grabbed her keys and stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind her. Her heart was pounding, and she felt tears prickling at the corners of her eyes. As she drove to work, she tried to calm herself, but she knew she couldn’t.
Halfway to the office, her phone rang. It was her assistant, Lisa.
“Judith, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we just lost the Harrington contract,” Lisa said.
“What? How? Why would they do that?!”
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“They decided to go with another firm. I’m so sorry.”
Judith took a deep breath, trying to keep her emotions in check. She wanted to scream and cry, but what would change? The contract was gone. “Alright, thanks for letting me know, Lisa. I’ll be in soon.”
She ended the call and let out a frustrated sigh. The Harrington contract was a big deal, and losing it felt like a personal failure. With her mind still racing with the morning’s events, she glanced at the dashboard clock and realized she was running late. As if that wasn’t enough, she had to pick up essentials before fetching her daughter from childcare.
Judith made a mental list. “Milk, eggs, bread… what else?” she muttered to herself. The stress of the morning made it hard to think clearly.
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Minutes later, she pulled into the supermarket parking lot, her frustration growing. “Great, no close spots,” she grumbled, parking far from the entrance.
Inside, she reached for a shopping cart and immediately noticed the wheels were wonky. She was so pissed that she didn’t even bother changing the cart. She just wanted to get done with this shopping as soon as possible!
As she approached the dairy aisle, she saw an old man standing in front of the vegetable milk alternatives. He looked lost, staring at the cartons with a confused expression. Judith felt her patience snap.
“Excuse me, could you move your cart?” she said sharply.
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The old man turned to her with a kind smile. “Oh, I’m sorry, dear. I didn’t realize I was in your way.” He gently pushed his cart aside, giving Judith room to pass.
Judith grabbed a carton of milk and continued down the aisle, still fuming. “People need to pay attention,” she muttered under her breath.
As she pushed her wobbly cart towards the eggs, she couldn’t shake the image of the old man’s smile. There was something about his calm demeanor that both annoyed and intrigued her. But she didn’t have time to think about it; she just wanted to get groceries and leave.
She maneuvered the cart to the next aisle, hoping the rest of her shopping trip would go smoothly. However, the day’s challenges were far from over.
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Judith reached the eggs aisle, feeling a bit calmer. But as she turned the corner, her heart sank. The old man was there again, his cart blocking her path.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she muttered. “Excuse me!” she said loudly, trying to get his attention.
The old man looked up, startled. “Oh, I’m sorry again,” he said, moving his cart. “I seem to be in your way a lot today.”
Judith’s patience finally snapped. “Can’t you be more careful? You’re blocking everyone! Crazy old coot,” she muttered the last part under her breath but loud enough for him to hear.
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The old man looked hurt but quickly recovered, smiling gently. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.”
Judith grabbed a dozen eggs and put them in her cart, still fuming. “Just stay out of my way,” she grumbled as she pushed past him.
She then headed to the deli, hoping to finish her shopping quickly. Once done, she pushed her cart toward the checkout counter. But as she approached the counter, her heart sank. The old man was ahead of her in line, meticulously sorting through a pile of coupons!
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Judith muttered. She watched as the old man carefully checked each coupon against his items. Then, disaster struck. The pile of coupons slipped from his hands and scattered across the floor.
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Judith couldn’t take it anymore. “This is ridiculous!” she yelled. “Can you hurry up? Some of us have lives to get back to!”
The old man looked up, surprised and apologetic. “I’m sorry, I’m almost done,” he said, bending down to pick up the coupons.
Judith didn’t hold back. “You’re wasting everyone’s time! You should be in an old age home where someone can take care of you. You’re clearly not capable of doing this yourself!”
The checkout girl looked shocked. “Ma’am, please calm down,” she said softly. “He’s just trying to finish his shopping.”
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The old man stood up, holding the scattered coupons. “I’m really sorry. Please, go ahead of me,” he said calmly, stepping aside. “I am in no hurry.”
Judith huffed and pushed her cart forward, feeling a rush of satisfaction. She quickly placed her items on the counter and watched as the checkout girl scanned them. “Finally,” she muttered under her breath.
Within a few minutes, Judith had paid for her groceries and was heading out the door. She felt a fleeting sense of triumph, but it was quickly replaced by a nagging feeling of guilt. She brushed it off, telling herself that the old man needed to learn to be quicker.
Walking to her car, she placed her bags in the trunk, determined to put the frustrating encounter behind her. But little did she know, her day was about to take another unexpected turn.
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Judith finished placing her groceries in the trunk and got into her car. She turned the key, but the engine didn’t start. “No, no, no!” she exclaimed, trying again. The car refused to start. Tears welled up in her eyes as the frustration of the day overwhelmed her. She slammed her fists on the steering wheel and started sobbing.
It was then a gentle knock on her window startled her. She looked up to see the old man from the store standing there with a concerned expression. “Are you alright, miss?” he asked.
Judith rolled down her window, wiping her tears. “My car won’t start,” she said, her voice trembling. “It’s just been one of those days. I don’t know why everything is going south! First, I argued with my husband, then I lost the contract, and now this!”
The old man smiled kindly. “Don’t worry, miss. Pop the hood and let me take a look. I’ve worked on cars for many years. Maybe I can help?”
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Judith hesitated but then pulled the lever to open the hood. The old man tinkered under the hood for a few minutes. “Try it now,” he called.
Judith turned the key, and to her astonishment, the engine roared to life. “You did it!” she exclaimed. “How did you do that so quickly?”
The old man wiped his hands and smiled. “Just a bit of experience and patience, my dear. Sometimes, all it takes is a little know-how and a calm approach.”
Judith felt a wave of guilt wash over her. “I’m so sorry for how I treated you earlier. I was rude and impatient. You didn’t deserve that.”
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The old man shook his head, still smiling. “It’s alright. We all have bad days. I could see you were having a tough time. When we’re unhappy, we often take it out on others. The key is to take control of our happiness and handle life’s challenges with grace.”
Judith nodded, tears of gratitude in her eyes. “Thank you for your kindness and for fixing my car. You’ve given me a lot to think about.”
The old man patted her shoulder. “Take care, and remember, you’re stronger than you think. You can handle whatever comes your way.”
As she drove away, the man raised his hand in a silent blessing, and Judith felt oddly comforted. She drove to her daughter’s daycare calmly and welcomed her child with a smile and a hug.
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Yes, everything was going to be alright. She was strong, and she could do it! She would make things right one step at a time, Judith promised herself.
And she did that. She prepared a special dinner for Mark that evening, and they had a good talk about everything that was bothering them. They both promised to be more patient with each other, and Judith silently thanked the older man in her heart for helping her out.
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