The cash register was a hefty machine that came straight out of the 80s. It was loud and unforgiving. A single misstep, clicking the wrong number, or miscalculating sales tax meant resetting the entire thing. Resetting the entire thing took far too long. Sometimes, it would reset itself, and no misstep was even necessary. Customers would stand with frowns, eyes rolling, and feet impatiently stomping on the ground. They knew a computer would be faster. So did we, but there was nothing we could do about it. The cash register taught me patience. Patience I have to use every day. It’s that patience that gets me through long days at work when machines do not work properly, or customers become harsh.
Pensworth 