Arlington, Virginia, around 8 in the morning. Friday, 4 August.
My hosts still asleep, I decided to shower, dress, and stroll down Kirkwood to the Giant grocery store. My morning Coca-Cola and the Friday New York Times in hand, I queued up in the express lane. Which is where I saw Bitter Bruce, the Crabby Cashier.
Bruce had struck a pose, one hip thrust forward. What few hairs remain atop his head were each brushed in very precise lines towards the back of his head. Bruce did not look at anyone, whether he was talking to them or not.
The customer being checked out, a gentleman in (expensive) casual clothes, made a comment about it being "casual Friday."
"Oh." said Bruce. The bitterness in that 'oh' was palpable. "Yeah. I remember casual Friday. THAT was a whole OTHER lifetime."
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