Confessions of a Human Nerve Ending

Situation 1: I was standing in line at Whole Foods with my food lined up behind me on the conveyor belt.   A young black man got in line behind me and put his small handful of groceries behind mine.   I noticed that he didn’t use the divider between his groceries and mine, and I didn’t say anything.   Surely the clerk would notice?                 A few minutes later, the clerk had gotten to the end of my groceries and looked down at his.   “Is this yours?” she asked me.                 I shook my head and then looked back at him.   Snarkily, I said, “Almost got me to pay for your food.   Almost.”                 He laughed; I laughed; the clerk laughed.           ...