capisci?

Sometimes, logic displayed by some people just baffle me. Dumbfounding and somewhat confusing moments that is. You stare at each other's eyes convinced that the words exchanged a moment ago were, indeed, English and yet puzzled as to how they completely fail to communicate anything.

I was at a southern branch of the public library earlier on today, checking out or, rather, trying to check out a book, when the automated machine tells me my library card number is not valid. Confused I walk up to the human behind the desk, with the hopes that a human would somehow be more helpful than a machine. Hey, it worked before. Whyever not now?

"Hello? I'd like to check this out," I push the book across the counter with the library card on top of it.

The lady behind the desk, busy wrestling with her printer, glances at me. "I'll be right there with you." Goes on wrestling.

A few minutes later, after her having tried to push in new stash of paper into the printer and opened & closed the top a couple times, turns to me.

On queue, I tell her my plight, "The automated machine says my card is invalid."

She scans the card, looks up at her monitor. "Your card is invalid."

"Yes, I know. Do you know why it's invalid?"

"It's invalid."

"Um, right. Can you tell me why?"

"You lost your card, and now it's invalid."

Whaaa? So here I sidetrack to tell you a little about my library card. A while back, my faithful red wallet of 3 years - two fold thing with a built in area for checks and ample card pockets - started to show its age. The poor thing had not only started to peel, but also stretched. So somewhere between eating and shopping with Nina one day, I realized that half of my card in my wallet had dissappeared. Thankfully, the financially important cards had been in the other half. But I'd lost all my membership cards, a few discount cards, and the local library card.

Playing the part of a responsible patron, I reported it to the library, who then issued me a brand new plastic and charged me 50 cents for the replacement fee. And successfully borrowed 2 books with my new card.

"But that one can't be invalid. That's the new one." I tell her, confused.

"You need to give me the new one. This one's old, they replace this one with the new one." She doesn't even blink.

Trying desperately to think of what to say. "That's the NEW card!"

"This IS the old card." She insists.

I try once again. "I LOST my old one. Hence the new." A different tactic, a new emphasis.

She stares at me.

I stare at her.

...seconds pass...

She shruggs. "Ok, I need to see an ID. I'll activate this one."

I pull out my license and slide it to her.

In half minute I'm done, walking out of the building.

As I open the door, I hear, "This printer still won't work."

I hear her co-worker say, "Is that thing still jamm-"

I close the door behind me. For a second I wonder if I should offer help.
Too complicated. Who knows, she won't understand.