Today I received yet another free coffee from Starbuck's. Usually I'm thrilled when such fortune shines it's friendly face upon me, but today I was just grateful because coffee goes great with humble pie. All the better to choke it down with.
Two days ago, as I do on most every day before I go to work, I drove through the Starbuck's drive through and ordered my venti breve coffee (that's a large coffee with cream for you uninitiated). I pulled through to the window where I was greeted by a familiar barista. "Did we mess up your order yesterday?" she asked.
"No," I laughed. "I don't think you've ever messed up my order."
"That's weird," she said with her face all scrunched up. "After you came through yesterday we found a venti coffee sitting here and we didn't know who ordered it. We thought we must've given you the wrong order."
"No, my order was fine."
Another barista joined her at the window. "See I told you it wasn't my fault," he joked as he handed me a coupon. "Here, take this anyway. You're a cool guy."
The coupon, used by baristas as recompense for shoddy service, was for a free beverage of choice. The barista was none other than Obnoxious Starbuck's Guy, the kid I lambasted in a post two weeks ago. Right then I felt like anything but a cool guy. I felt like a two-faced jerk. But free Starbuck's coffee is free Starbuck's coffee, so I thanked him, took the coupon, and went on my way. Then I waited a whole two days to use it, you know, as a penance for my scathing tongue. Yeah, it would have been a better penance to throw or give the coupon away, but, hey, free Starbuck's coffee is free Starbuck's coffee. Never look a gift barista in the mouth, or in the eyes for that matter, especially after burying a knife in his back.
Yes, I do realize how much I suck.
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Free Coffee or a Kick in the Head...I'll Have Both, Please
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2 comments:
Hmmn. Well, just because someone is annoying doesn't necessarily connote that they are evil, or that they don't mean well. Conversely, though, the fact that someone likes you, means well, and isn't evil doesn't prevent them from being annoying or stupid.
This is true. I've thought about this quite a bit, and this guy reminds me of the annoying kid that every group of friends seems to have, kind of like "Vern", the fat kid in the movie "Stand By Me". You know, the kid who lived down the street that didn't quite fit in, but you let him play with you anyway, at least until he annoyed the crap out of you, at which point you gave him a wedgie and sent him packing. Your group of friends would rib him mercilessly, but if anyone outside of the pack messed with him, we'd defend him tooth and nail.
So I've decided to cut Obnoxious Starbuck's Guy some slack, not simply because he gave me a free coffee, but because I've now interacted with him enough that I think I understand him better. I'll even let him call me "Bud".
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