A Breakthrough

Since my arrival in France, I have been treated like a second-class citizen at the local grocery store.  They must have sent a memo around to all the employees, warning them that an American with poor French skills and therefore very low self-esteem would be arriving shortly and everyone should treat her like a smelly bag of manure that happens to buy a lot of coffee and pasta sauce.  How else to account for the fact that every cashier greets every other customer with a cheerful, "Bonjour!" and ends each transaction with, "Merciaurevoirbonnefinjournéeàvous!"* but I'm only given an icy glare at best? 

However, today I had a breakthrough.  It started while waiting in the checkout line, when I realized that I was unconsciously listening to the conversation between two cashiers.  Normally, I can't just tune into conversations like that, but I was actually understanding them!  Amazing! Granted, it went something like:
"It's cold out.  I used to have a hat, but now I don't."
"Oh wow, that sucks.  You should get another one."
"I know, but I don't want to."
Then my cashier noticed some ice cream cones that someone had decided they didn't want and left to the side of her checkout lane.  She worked herself up into a tizzy about it, saying that someone always left things in her lane, and everyday it was the same, and she was so sick of it.  I suddenly realized she was directing all of this at me, as if I were her confidante.  So I just shook my head as if to say, tell me about it.  This was a good move.  She recognized me as her sympathizer, so as she scanned my items, she started talking about how maybe she should take up mediation, so I laughed as if to say, that's what we all need, isn't it?  She ate it up.  After paying, I wished her "Bonnes Vacances," my current go-to phrase of the season, and she smiled genuinely and said, "Merciaurevoirbonnefinjournéeàvous!"



*Thanksgoodbyehaveaniceday