The Walmart employee, a middle-aged woman named Mary, approached with a practiced calmness that indicated she had probably dealt with similar situations before. “Excuse me, is everything alright here?” she asked, glancing between the man, his wife, and me.
The man quickly turned to her, launching into his tirade once again. “This young man here is perfectly capable of walking, but my wife has been on her feet all day and just needs a little break. It’s only fair he gives her the wheelchair for a few minutes!”
Mary listened patiently, nodding at appropriate intervals. Once he paused for breath, she asked very kindly but firmly, “Sir, does your wife need assistance walking?”
