Tina, a nurse, came in with painful feet. She told me that she wore size 8 ½ shoes. Then she pointed at the shoes that she wanted to buy.

 

I measured her feet and said, “The bad news is that we don’t have the shoe you want in 8 ½. The good news is that we do have it in your size.”

 

“What’s my size?”

 

“Size 10.”

 

Her jaw dropped.

 

“Don’t let that number get between us,” I said, “You can still say that you’re an 8 ½ .”

 

She bought the 10’s—in a box with the size crossed out—and left with a smile on her face. Later that day, her husband came in, embraced me and said, “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”