A woman goes into a tackle shop!
On a crisp afternoon, an elderly woman stepped into a local bait and tackle shop with a mission: she needed to find the perfect birthday gift for her grandson. Navigating the aisles of shimmering lures and tangled nets, she felt entirely out of her element. Not knowing a sinker from a spinner, she finally plucked a random rod and reel combo from the rack and made her way toward the checkout counter.
Behind the register stood a man wearing dark aviator shades, standing perfectly still. “Excuse me, sir,” the woman began, gesturing vaguely toward the gear in her hand. “Could you tell me anything about this particular setup? I’m hoping it’s right for a beginner.”
The man smiled kindly and tilted his head. “To be honest, Ma’am, I’m completely blind. But if you’ll just drop that equipment onto the wooden counter, I can tell you everything you need to know just by the sound it makes.”
Skeptical but intrigued, the woman gave it a try. She let the rod and reel clatter onto the countertop. The clerk didn’t hesitate for a second. “Ah, that’s a classic six-foot Shakespeare graphite rod paired with a Zebco 404 reel, pre-spooled with ten-pound test line. It’s a fantastic all-around combination for someone starting out. Better yet, it’s on sale this week for a steal at only $20.00.”
The woman was floored. “That is absolutely remarkable!” she exclaimed. “I’ve never seen anything like it. I’ll definitely take it.”
She reached into her oversized handbag to pull out her wallet, but in her excitement, her credit card slipped through her fingers and hit the floor with a distinct plastic snap. “Oh, that sounds like a MasterCard,” the clerk remarked casually.
Impressive as his hearing was, the woman was beginning to feel a bit flustered. As she bent over to retrieve the card, the physical exertion caused her to accidentally let out a loud, unmistakable fart. The silence that followed was heavy with her embarrassment. She felt her cheeks turn a bright shade of crimson, but then she caught herself. She realized that since the man was blind, he couldn’t possibly know for sure that she was the one responsible. After all, he couldn’t see that they were the only two people in the store. She quickly composed herself, handed him the card, and waited for the transaction to finish.
The clerk began tapping away at his register, ringing up the items with practiced ease. Finally, he cleared his throat. “That will be $34.50, please.”
The woman paused, her hand hovering over the keypad. “I’m sorry, I must have misheard you,” she said, sounding confused. “Didn’t you just tell me the rod and reel were on sale for $20.00? How on earth did the total jump to $34.50?”
The clerk leaned forward, a playful, knowing grin spreading across his face. “Well, you see, Ma’am, you’re exactly right. The rod and reel are indeed $20.00. However,” he added, pausing for comedic effect, “the Duck Call is $11.00 and the Bear Repellent is $3.50.”
The woman stood frozen in a mix of horror and hysterical realization. It turned out the clerk’s hearing was even more specialized—and perhaps a bit more judgmental—than she had ever imagined.