The tradesman's juice

The other day I was in my local supermarket. The customer in front of me, a tradesman, had just purchased a bottle of juice and then left the store. While I was being served, he came back in with a leaking bottle, which he’d dropped. The shop assistant told him that it was OK, just to replace it. The tradie pulled some coins out of his pocket to pay for it, and the shop assistant said, really it’s OK, just grab another one. The tradie was really uncomfortable, explaining that it was his own fault, and that he had dropped the bottle. The shop assistant gently repeated it was OK, just get another one, and then a 2nd shop assistant chimed in with a wink and a gentle nod to reiterate the same. The tradie did eventually get another bottle of juice from the fridge, grateful but obviously still a bit uncomfortable. The reason I’m mentioning this, is that it warmed my heart to see these three men’s discourse… the customer’s desire to do the right thing, and both shop assistants’ ability to see this, and their gentle reassurance of the customer. It was a sweet scene and I left the shop with smiling eyes.