Nexus of Spillability

I don't like difficult people. It always irks me when I see someone complaining or giving someone else a hard time. I am a firm believer in ”Do Unto Others As You Would Have them Do Unto You.” I try to be patient and treat people the way I would like to be treated. This far from guarantees that people will reciprocate, and often the opposite is the case. But I'd like to believe that if enough people follow the old golden rule, over time their example will spread. A lot of conflicts escalate when both parties press the attack. Sometimes you have no choice; other times you can choose to be decent and unselfish.

I'll gripe from time to time about service in various places, and I've written plenty about Subway and Burger King. Writing helps me vent and get it out of my system, but I'm always extremely polite when I'm in the actual establishments. Aside from the obvious goal of keeping their saliva out of my food, I try to empathize and understand that there's a lot to keep track of, and they're probably bombarded by an endless stream of people far less patient than myself. I don't envy their position.

I strolled in to the express Taco Bell near my job on my lunch break Thursday afternoon, to find a lady at the counter giving the cashier a hard time. She was slamming her cup of soda on the counter, each time causing more to spill out of an apparently leaky cap. “These caps are no good! And another thing; I asked you for DIET Pepsi!! This tastes like REGULAR.” My internal wiseass snarked a paraphrase of the Diet Dr Pepper slogan: “Diet Pepsi tastes more like regular Diet Pepsi!”, but I of course didn't say it aloud. The cashier meekly assured her that it was diet, poured a sample for the woman in a new cup, and handed it to her to taste. She was still skeptical, but requested a new cup without a lid, because the lids leak. I chuckled internally at the logic; wouldn't it be easier to spill with no lid? Or would the lack of a lid remind this brain surgeon not to tip the cup too far back? I love how stupid people blame anyone but themselves.

Next it was my turn. I smiled, and politely rattled off my order. They quickly and efficiently assembled my food, and I took the tray past the difficult woman's table and sat on a stool in front of the counter running the length of the outside window. I popped a straw into my iced tea lid, and checked to make sure it was fashioned securely. I then confidently took a sip, leaning the cup back as far as possible before setting it back down on the counter. I smugly thought once more about the stupidity of people, and how they really create their own problems.

So of course, at this point, I suddenly feel something cold and damp seeping into my jeans. I slowly glance down at my lap and see a wet spot on one of my shirt tails, which I didn't feel until it got through a few more layers of clothing. How hilarious the irony? How painful the karma? I was glad that I had my back to the rest of the establishment, and that the window in front of me didn't extend below the counter to give everyone in the parking lot a view of the wet spot dangerously close to my crotch area. I didn't throw a fit, or call more attention to myself by storming up to the counter and yelling at the cashier about the faulty lids. I knew full well that I'd brought it on myself, as we all do, and I knew I was going to be sitting there for a very long time until it dried. I dabbed at it with a napkin, realized how that action would look to people in the parking lot, and resumed eating as though nothing were wrong.

There are probably several morals to this story. “Judge not lest ye also spill a drink on your lap like a dumbass.” certainly springs to mind. I guess, in the end, all I can do is laugh about it and learn to have patience and understanding for people on both sides of the counter.