So Tired of Being Nice at Work

I’ve been working as a bartender for years and always try to be friendly with everyone. You know, smile, make eye contact, all that good stuff. But lately, I’m just so tired of putting on this facade. There’s this customer who comes in twice a week and every time she acts like it’s the first time we’ve met even though we’ve talked before. She always asks about my job or how I am doing but never actually listens to what I say. It’s annoying, because after a while you start feeling like everyone is just going through the motions with you too. Last night, when she asked again if everything was fine at work (when I know it clearly isn’t), I snapped and told her honestly that no, things were not great. I didn’t go into details or anything personal, but I felt a little bit of satisfaction in being truthful for once. Then she just looked at me and said 'I’m glad to hear you’re okay,' like I was some kind of robot programmed to always be happy. And here’s the kicker, it made me feel even more miserable. Why do we pretend all the time? Is it really necessary to hide behind these false smiles and pleasantries just because that’s how society expects us to behave in public spaces like a bar or cafe? I don’t know if this makes me the asshole for being honest, but I sure am tired of playing the part.