I went with Angela to Ross yesterday, in her 'hood, the dreaded Westside. I managed to get into an altercation with an old woman, who angrily and repeatedly told me she had just gotten out of the hospital. I had walked too close into her personal space, you see, and an "excuse me, sorry" would not suffice. Finally, I said to her, "you should wear a sign then" and she yelled, "Fuck you! You are rude!" at me. If you don't want anyone to bump into you, (which I didn't) don't go shopping at the Ross on National at noon on a Saturday. Or you could use a cane, which indicates to the public at large that you have some sort of medical problem. That's what the old lady who cut in front of a checkout line of 20 people was doing. She "only had one thing" and just pushed her way into the line. But you know what? She had a cane, and people cut her a little slack! I was way back at #11. I don't know if I would have let her in...perhaps only "back cuts", but I had steered clear of her in the aisle when I saw her before, hobbling around with her cane.

Aimlessly wandering around the shoe department may not have been a wise choice for Ex-Hospital Biddy. Angela pointed out that she probably doesn't have a job, and could have wandered around Ross on a Tuesday morning when it was less crowded. I know all the woman wanted from me was some kind of sympathy, some petting. But angrily lashing out at strangers is not going to solicit sympathy from them. I am not on your payroll, I'm not a nurse at the hospital and I'm not your daughter. I'm generally far kinder to strangers than I need to, but I don't have to be. She was wearing some kind of paisley sheet toga ensemble, so perhaps she did not have all her wits about her.

The Ross itself was having a bit of a problem. It resembled a Third World airport, minus the goats. They only had 2 1/2 working registers, and the poor ladies running the show seemed overwhelmed, but determined to get through it. They looked like all they wanted to do was kick everyone out and close the store for 15 minutes, so they could just solve the computer register problems in peace, but that was not happening. Instead, lines stretched to the back of the store, lines of folks with carts piled high and credit cards that would not scan.

But damn it, I was going to hunt and kill the Tommy Hilfiger kiltie wedge clogs in brown with the pink contrast stitching marked down to $15.99. Rebecca had them in red, and told me to get to Ross ASAP. She was right, and it was worth it.