Out of Order

My friend Perry dropped by to visit. It was a pleasant surprise since I haven't seen him for about a year. Aside from Anmol, I don't get visits from my male friends too often. I guess I'm more of a ladies' man.

As I waited by the door to get strip searched at the end of the visit, I observed the interaction of a family of four African Americans. They were standing by the vending machines where all the sweets and snacks were stocked. The parents were engaged in conversation. The daughters were standing near them. The younger girl wanted something from the machine. The mom told her that it was out of order and showed her the sign taped on the machine. The girl pressed the turn button and the goodies were turning. She called out to her mother and told her that the machine worked. The mom insisted that it was out of order. The girl couldn't understand why because she watched the machine turn inside, so she kept on yelling for her mother to look at the machine while she pressed the turn button. The mom turned around and started to slap the girl on her arm until she stopped talking. Then the mom went back to her conversation with her husband. The girl stood dumbfounded.

The vending machine was not the only thing that was out of order.