do the right thing

yesterday was another snow day....schools were cancelled and the grocery stores were busy.
i stopped in to pick up a couple of things, and before i knew it, i had half a basket filled.
there were only three (out of about 20) check out lines, and each line had a dozen or so carts queued to check out.  i was not in a hurry, but still looked for the shortest line.
in my line were 4 carts, 3 filled to overflowing, and in front of me an old black man with only a bunch of bananas.  we waited patiently as the line got closer to us.
the full cart in front of the old man was next.
and then i noticed 3 young men, pimply faced and football player sized, wearing university t-shirts.  they stood near the candy/magazine racks that divide the check-out lines.  
i thought at first that they were just looking, but then they started squeezing in front of the cart with the bananas.
it wasn't that they had a lot of stuff to pay for, but it annoyed me that they had cut in line.
i watched one of them step in front of the banana cart, and then step out.  step in, step out.....so that even i was confused as to whether they intended to cut in.
i could tell that the old black man was not going to do or say anything....he seemed to warily watch, and allowed them to put their things on the belt.  
i wanted to tell them to go to the end of the line, but then i thought i should just stay out of it.
finally i couldn't stand it.....i walked around and tapped one of them on the arm.  i said "i think you guys have cut in line.  this gentleman has only a bunch of bananas to pay for.  i don't mind if you cut in front of me, but please, do the right thing and let him go next."
then i stepped back and waited.
i rarely do something like that, and my heart was racing,
but even the lady at the checkout was aware of the problem.
in the end, we all did the right thing.


it felt good.