Number, Please

Number, Please

Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.

Philippians 2:3

As humorist Robert Henry walked up to a counter, he noticed that he was the only customer in the store. Behind the counter were two salespersons. One was so preoccupied talking to “Mama” on the telephone that she refused to acknowledge that Robert was there.

At the other end of the counter, a second salesperson was unloading inventory from a box onto the shelves. Beginning to grow impatient, Robert walked down to her end of the counter and just stood there. Finally she looked up at Robert and said, “You got a number?”

“Do I have a what?” asked Robert, trying to control his astonishment at such an absurdity.

“You got a number? You gotta have a number.”

Robert replied, “Lady, I’m the only customer in the store! I don’t need a number. Can’t you see how ridiculous this is?”

But she failed to see the absurdity and insisted that Robert take a number before agreeing to wait on him.

By now, it was obvious to Robert that she was more interested in following procedure than in helping a customer. So he went to the take-a-number machine, pulled off number 37, and walked back to the salesperson.

At that, she promptly went to her number counter, which revealed that the last customer waited on had been holding number 34. She screamed out, “35! . . . 35! . . . 36! . . . 36! . . . 37!”

“I’m number 37,” said Robert.

“May I help you?” she asked, without cracking a smile.

“No,” replied Robert, and he turned around and walked out.

—Michael LeBoeuf

O Lord, thank you for always being there when I need your special attention. I am grateful that I don’t need to take a number and wait in line before you tune your ear to my every need and prayer. Please help me to listen to others when they need my attention, too, so that I can show them your love and care. Amen.