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The scene was a day of rest, and I found myself in a foul mood, refueling the family car. It was one of those petrol stations that doubles as a convenience store, meaning there's a chance of ending up in line shoppers with carts of somewhat expensive items. This is a dreadful thing to happen when your only desire is to complete a simple refueling. Dreadful.

I was fourth in the queue. There was only employee working, a youthful clerk. Something stood out about her. After the ditherer at the front of the queue had at last settled for his purchases, a baked snack, and a carton of eggs, I could have sworn that I heard the cashier tell him to have a great day. Unusual. Perhaps I’d misheard, or perhaps she spoke and meant it ironically. I pondered if perhaps she was an ally in the war on delays, sharing my contempt for people who hold up simple fuel-buyers like me.

Advancing next, now third in line. The next shopper of our line discharged her fuel-only transaction with impressive quickness. And there it was again: “Wishing you a marvelous day.” No, actually, it was “enjoy a truly great day”. An American? In Stourbridge? The pronunciation indicated it, and hardly anyone here tells people such a cheerful phrase, or merely a pleasant day. Highly unusual. Rarely does one encounter many Americans frequenting this area, certainly not holding jobs in fueling spots or other places.

Now I stood second. Behind a poor older woman engaged in a protracted effort with her basket, her food items, her handbag and her loyalty card. The process dragged on. When she was done, she as well received the wish a wonderful day. Yes, American for sure. I could have confirmed it by making a witty remark in her direction, to see if she did that reaction their typical stare, without a smile, and say with absolute sincerity: “That is quite humorous.” But I couldn’t think of anything hilarious to express.

I just had to settle the heartfelt tone – or an impersonation of it, which amounts to no different – as she gazed directly into my eyes, piercingly, and wished me an awesome day. My spirits lifted. It was a good thing.