A stubborn man walking through the produce section of a busy New Orleans supermarket decided he only needed a small portion for his dinner. He grabbed a worker stocking the shelves and asked if he could buy exactly half a head of cabbage.
The young boy working the department shook his head. “I’m sorry, sir, but we only sell whole heads of cabbage here.”
The man refused to take no for an answer and aggressively insisted that the boy go into the back room to ask the store manager for a special exception.
Annoyed, the boy marched into the back office. Not realizing the customer had quietly followed him right down the hallway, the boy burst through the door and complained to his boss, “Manager, you won’t believe it. Some old, annoying stooge out there wants to buy half a head of cabbage…”
Just as the words left his mouth, the boy caught a glimpse of the angry customer standing right behind him in the doorway.
Without breaking a sweat, the quick-thinking kid smoothly turned back to the manager and added:
“…and this lovely gentleman right here was kind enough to offer to buy the other half!”
The manager, relieved a confrontation was avoided, approved the deal with a nod, and the satisfied customer went on his way.
A few minutes later, the manager walked out to the produce aisle to praise the employee. “Son, I have to say, I was incredibly impressed with the way you got yourself out of that tight spot earlier. We highly value people who can think on their feet in this company. Where are you from?”
“I’m from Canada, sir,” the boy replied proudly.
“Oh, neat! Why did you decide to leave Canada?” the manager asked curiously.
The boy scoffed and waved his hand. “Ah, there’s honestly nothing up there but prostitutes and ice hockey players, sir.”
The manager’s face instantly hardened, his eyes narrowing into a dangerous glare. “Is that right? You should watch your mouth, young man… my wife is from Canada!”
The boy blinked, swallowed hard, and nervously asked:
“Really? That’s amazing! Which team did she play for?”
