Double Edged Sword
Despite the threat of thundershowers this afternoon, I rode the Harley to work today. It’s July now and we are in the afternoon thundershower cycle that is typical for these summer months. Lunch time comes around so I run out to get some fuel in the bike and a sandwich to bring back to work and eat while I listen to Neil Boortz on the radio.
I fill up the bike and roll over to Zaxby’s Chicken to pick up a sandwich. The club is $5.49, no drink today, thanks. The young man is ringing up my order and I’m pulling my money out. I’ve got a five and a hand full of change so I figure I’m good for $5.49 plus tax. The young man tells me my order is $5.29. Hum, that’s unexpected. I give him exact change and he hands me the ticket.
There it is, right there at the bottom of the ticket, staring me right in the face, “$.55 Senior Citizen Discount.”
At my age a senior citizen discount is a double edged sword. On the one hand I like the discount. After all, fifty-five cents is fifty-five cents. I could actually buy something with that, not much, but a coke or something. Not bad, I’ll take it.
On the other hand, do I look like I should get a senior citizen discount? Yeah, I’ve got some obvious miles on me, but man, a senior discount? Don’t you have to be about 65 or more for the senior discount? I rode in on the Harley, I wasn’t driving a Buick! I wasn’t wearing plaid shorts with socks and sandals! I had on motorcycle boots!
Apparently this kid behind the counter thought that I qualified because he gave me the discount without even asking! But then, he was just a kid, probably 17 or 18 years old. Everyone looks like a senior citizen to kids. They think old is 35. That’s the ticket, it was just the kid thinking everyone over 35 is a senior citizen.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!