She just needed help

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This morning a coworker and I were in a convenience store and this harried woman came in asking for the attendant. I pointed the attendant out and went about my business. The woman then came up to me and said the attendant wouldn't help her, could I help her find her way? Could I please help her? She approached me very quickly and put a small book of maps up in my face and started pointing out where she needed to go. She was way too close and her fingers were doing this grabby motion on my elbow. She kept half walking in front of me and looking right in my eyes. Through them even. The sheer need in her eyes was incredible. I repeatedly looked away but its like she had to make me see her. Others started commenting in not so quiet voices on this womans manner. It took everything I had to focus down on the maps- get this over with. She didn't understand the route I pointed out. I tried several times to show her the best route. By this time I was really freaking out inside bad.

My coworker asked if I was ok, but he had this sarcastic tone like he was saying "you're both crazy and I'm enjoying this alot." She finally grabbed my arm and thanked me- very intense. But I knew she still didn't understand where to go she had it wrong. But I let her go. She marched up to the attendant and pre-paid for some gas on pump 4. I watched as she went out and was unable to pump it- the attendant purposefully set it up for pump 3! When this woman came back in she was near panicked "I can't get it to work!" the attendant "I don't know what the problem is, Oh I see you paid for pump 3, move your car over to that pump." She goes out again and the attendant is just messing with her. She moved her car to 3 and when that didn't work she moved back to 4. Every one inside is in on it and laughing at this poor womans vain attempts to pump gas. At this point she is almost at her wits end I could just see the universe pressing down upon her. After the woman came in the third time she found me and gave me a look like please help me! I told her the attendant had it wrong and she should go out and try one more time.

I approached the counter and fixed that smug laughing woman with a look that said "I will smash you against the wall till your brains rupture out" and said with a voice that came from my fathers father- "Put it on 4 and make it work this time." The attendant looked at me like I was the one way out of line but she finally set it up right. I marched out and got into my work truck and waited till the troubled woman got her gas. She pulled in front of me and started waving hysterically but I couldn't meet her gaze right away. After a moment she pulled away and drove off.

My coworker got back in the truck and said "damn dude I thought you were gonna go off in there" in a laughing way. He has seen me melt down before and thoroughly enjoys it. Thinks its awesomely hilarious. Which it must seem to him.

She needed so much more help. Why couldn't I help her as she needed? Why did she single me out? What the hell is wrong with everyone else in that store?? I think I know the answers I just needed to get that out- It's been bothering me greatly all day. I will never forget the look in that womans eyes. I wish I could go back in time and really help her, get her calm, find out what she really needed and really help her. I hope she finds her way.

you seem nice

What a bunch of jerks,especially the clerk. You did the right thing.

Yes, you did the right thing,
You did as much as you could and even more by confronting the clerk.
Personally I would call the owner/manager and tell him what happened. I doubt they would be pleased.
It was a mean and discourteous thing she did. If I saw one of my employees doing that to a customer, she would be fired on the spot.
Being in the 'customer service business' means just that. You provide service, not entertainment at someone's expense.

You did the best you could. It seems to me that you had major overload going on and still had the presence of mind to give her as much info as you could, and stood up to a bully. You should be proud of yourself. That woman will never forget you, and the clerk may not be so quick to bully again in public amongst strangers.

Good that you stood up. That's pretty badass on your part.

There are occasions that i wish i had half you guts (as in courage not as in actual... you get my point)

Don't worry. You did the right thing.

I learned a valuable lesson on mushrooms. How complicated something is depends on what mindset you're in. On mushrooms a so called simple task like buttoning your shirt or opening a door can become an exceptionally complicated task because there are so many more variables you are aware of and so much is going on inside your head. Don't worry about not helping her fully, the more you do it, the better you get at it. Today in the train station this woman at the ticket machine next to me was freaking out cuz she couldn't get a $5 bill into the machine so I hadn't her all the change in my pocket but she still couldn't get it into the machine so I just took over and did it for her. Something thats a simple task for you might be a complex task for someone else and vice versa. I think whats wrong with other people who don't help is they haven't learned this lesson yet. Then again some people are just callous pieces of s**t it seems.