See what I did there?

Jun22nd12

ricktimus asked: Andrew, I heard you cut your finger with a box cutter today. How did you cut your finger with a box cutter today, Andrew?

Well Rick, I’m glad you asked, because a few people have also requested that particular parable.

At one of the part-time jobs I currently occupy, I sometimes sell items of furniture which have oversized price tags on them. The tags are attached by plastic zip-ties and have to be cut off before the table/chair/curio/what-have-you goes home.

So a customer wanted to buy a metal-frame chair with one of these tags on it. There was also a long line-up, which meant speed was of the essence. Unable to locate a pair of scissors (even though they’re supposed to be EVERYWHERE), I grabbed a nearby box cutting knife and with slow, small movements, sawed through the tag. Once it quietly gave way, I - with an ill-advised flourish - swept the cutter away from the tag, slashing the pad of my left ring finger.

It didn’t bleed right away, so I jammed the cut into the palm of my hand to staunch and hide any blood that did appear. Looking like a frat boy flashing the “shocker,” I served three more customers before I had the opportunity to grab a sanitary wipe and a bandaid from the store’s first aid kit. By then there was a fair amount of blood in the palm of my hand, but I was still able to hide the spectacle from my boss who has to fill out a form every time the first aid kit gets opened.

And that… is the story of how I cut my finger with a box cutter today.

Notes