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This occurred on a weekend morning, and I felt sufficiently irritable, refueling my mum’s car. This was a typical gas station that doubles as a convenience store, which often leads of ending up in line shoppers with carts of pricey provisions. A terrible fate to occur when your only desire is to pay for some fuel. Terrible.

My position was fourth in the waiting line. A single employee working, a youthful clerk. There was something unusual to her presence. When the faffer at the head of the line had at last settled for his purchases, a baked snack, and some breakfast items, I was certain that I heard the cashier bid him to have a great day. Odd. Maybe it was a mistake, or maybe she did say it and used a mocking tone. I pondered if she could even be an ally in my battle with dithering, sharing my contempt for individuals slowing down straightforward customers like me.

I moved up, becoming the third customer. The person ahead of the queue finished pumping gas with impressive quickness. And there it was again: “Have a wonderful day.” To be precise, it was “have a wonderful day”. Someone from the US? In Stourbridge? Her tone suggested it, and no British person says to others a wonderful day, or simply a good day. Highly unusual. Rarely does one encounter many Americans visiting this town, and definitely not holding jobs in fueling spots or elsewhere.

Now I stood second. Behind a poor older woman embroiled in a lengthy struggle with her carryall, her food items, her wallet and her membership pass. The process dragged on. Once completed, she too received the wish an excellent day. Definitely from the US. I might have verified it by cracking a joke to her, to see if she did that response their typical stare, unsmilingly, and say with absolute sincerity: “You are very amusing.” But I couldn’t think of a funny comment to utter.

In the end, I embraced the genuine warmth – or an impersonation of it, that equates to the same thing – as she gazed me right in the eye, deep into my soul, and wished me a wonderful day. I felt better for it. Beneficial indeed.