Our interviewee is Carmen, a young woman from San Antonio de los Baños who has lived in Vedado for several years now, and not a day goes by without her being surprised by the interactions and stories that customers leave behind at her workplace.

Her day begins bright and early. She always tries to give her best and maintain a positive attitude, even if the day starts with a power outage, the mountain of dirty laundry is about to collapse, and the morning commute requires a short workout.

Monday through Friday, Carmen experiences a range of concerns, expressions of gratitude, and disagreements, both in person and virtually, through the WhatsApp messaging app. And since everyone is different, no two experiences are ever the same.

Take the example of the sociable customer. They enter the store as if they've known it their whole life, asking about what's sold, opening hours, and products. While they're at it, they take the opportunity to talk about the soap opera they watched last night, vent about the latest power outage, the bank line, or food prices.

Sometimes, with customers like this, Carmen can manage to improvise a pleasant, friendly conversation for up to half an hour, just so the customer feels cared for and heard, even if the topic of conversation has nothing to do with the store's business purpose.

Others come in for a personalized gift, and in explaining how they want it, they reveal stories filled with longing and love—life stories of families separated by migration, of parents and children soon to be reunited, of a first meeting between grandparents and grandchildren. An attempt at solace.

Luckily, Carmen hit the bullseye. While she's not a psychologist, she enjoys talking and socializing with anyone about a variety of topics, which is key for those who work directly with the public. However, not all stories she shares leave her with fond memories.

Some people, without realizing it, come in burdened and exhausted from the day and bring dissatisfaction that has nothing to do with Carmen, nor can she solve it. Nevertheless, her patience is so boundless that she always tries to ensure the customer leaves satisfied, with the information they want, and in the best of spirits.

A smile, good manners, and politeness are part of it; this should be the case for everyone who works directly with the public, as a civic example, as good people, as workers; empathy, humanism, and respect should be fostered among us, even though each of us carries within us a different life story.