Turn About
After 20 years of doing my laundry at home, I found myself, with the move 2 years ago, being forced to use a laundromat once again.
(huge sigh)
It’s not like I don’t enjoy shelling out $50 per month to wash my clothes in machines reeking of Downy Ultra Infusions (damn them to hell!). Ok, it is exactly like that. But at least I have the best laundromat in town right across the street.
I tend to go early in the morning, with the other very responsible and tidy-type people. I mean early like 6:30 on a Saturday morning. I’m always shocked when there are people there almost done with their laundry by the time I get there.
One day I was bumbling around with my cart blocking the aisle, and I could FEEL someone be impatient with me.
This Asian guy with a long ponytail was standing there, fully disgusted with my disorganization that was causing him to have to wheel his cart all the way around a row of washers because he was sick of waiting on me to notice him.
I felt bad, and also mad. Why didn’t he just SAY something? Jerk.
About 10 minutes passed, and the guy came up to me. He handed me a warm cinnamon roll in a square of waxed paper.
“This,” he said, “Is for you. My name is Kainoa.”
Kainoa had realized he was being a bit of a jerk. And he had taken steps to mitigate that. He brought me the most delicious cinnamon bun from the bakery down the way.
We started talking. He and his wife always did laundry there. They were Hawaiian.
Kainoa took the extraordinary step of turning a regular stupid bad interaction into something good, and we became happy acquaintances. I always say hi to him, he always says hi to me.
That’s how it should be.
So this morning, Christmas morning, I was delighted to see that Kainoa’s van was the only car in the laundromat parking lot when I was walking the dog at 6:08 a.m.
I stuck my head in the door and began to sing.
“Mele kalikimaka is the Hawaiian way to say Merry Christmas, a very merry Christmas to yoouuuuuu.”
Kainoa laughed and gave me a two-handed Shaka and said “Aloha!”
Pretty great way to begin your Christmas day.
Mele Kalikimaka.
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Suebob's Red Stapler 
And this is why I love you Suebob!
Well, thank you!
Christmas is a rough time for me. Thanks so much for this story. It makes me smile 🙂
Merry Christmas back to you!
I am sorry it is rough for you. It’s not my favorite, either, because I have seasonal depression. Somehow the fire helped this year…having a disaster to focus on helped lift the depression. Weird how life works.
Strange, but true. I totally get what you mean though.
Nice. I had a remarkably blah and somewhat miserable day. Thanks for brightening it a little bit.
Let’s have coffee and tell our Christmas stories!
I would love coffee. Please bring your red stapler.
That’s a beautiful story, thanks for sharing. I hope you had a lovely Christmas this year.
Perfume allergies + communal laundry room = having to double-wash many, many batches of clothes. A pox on ultra-scented detergent/softener/? things!
(we now have our own washer and dryer. It is splendid. I never want to go back…)
Great story! Sigh. I miss the old blogging.
How lovely that he recognized the fault on his part, and that he found a way to rectify it. How lovely that you became friendly afterwards.
This is very nice. Thankyou for existing ❤
Btw check my blog out aswell
https://aairahblog.wordpress.com/2018/01/21/theeasyway/
This is the new post