My Faith In Youth Restored.

A lovely surprise gesture, unexpected but oh so nice.

As Jim Diamond sang, we should have known better! Going to the shops the first shopping day after Christmas is tres stupid let alone venturing forth to the Oberwart Shopping Emporium. A sea of faces, a sea of filled shopping bags, a sea of irritation and a whole lot of shop keepers rubbing their mittens in glee.

Bob was on a mission and couldn't be deflected for another week. It had to be today and on the whole it wasn't too bad. Toys and video games mysteriously were marked down by almost 50% being that Christmas had gone. Why don't we start giving gifts after the event and save muchos dineros?

The other week we'd managed to elicit a whole slew of cat food cans for Mausi at half the price and thus we were on the hunt for a repeat. Goodness me, we tried in four different shops and none of them had a special on. Hoping that the next one would have them at a good price, we ended up buying none in Oberwart and had to make a last effort in Grosspetersdorf. Else, the princess might starve.

Bob chose to wait at the car ( which translated to Mars speak meant that he wanted to get home and was at the end of his tether ) and I ended up at Penny's with a compromise for this elusive cat food. There I was standing in a lonnnng queue with a mere two items in my hands. A young man with plenty of stuff arranged on the conveyor belt was waiting his turn and a couple with a trolley heaped to the hilt was also in front of me. A long wait ahead.

The young guy ( about 18 ) turned and saw me with my paltry two items and caught my eye whilst saying:

" Please, why don't you go in front. You've only got two items. "

Wow, I was floored, chuffed and within seconds ahead of him. How nice indeed. Bob and I have been really disappointed recently at the lack of manners exhibited by the younger lot. Manners from the lower end of the scale such as greeting when meeting someone. Believe me, not a given at all ( regardless of age ).

This young chap made my day by restoring my faith in the ability of humans to get along. Only this morning a friend of mine said something which is rather simple yet it has the weight of an Einstein theory attached...

" How can we expect the world to stop fighting wars, when most families can't get along with each other? "

Biggi