Today's Little Irk

Upon returning home from my taxing day of soaking in a proper education, I felt somewhat peckish, so I did the natural American thing and opened the fridge to see what was inside. Not much aside from the long-forgotten and heavily fermented apple juice jug sitting near the back of the fridge, a near-empty half gallon of milk, the remainder of last night's who-knows-what's-in-it stew, and my longing for a nutritious meal. Upon opening the freezer, the same result greeted me.

And repeat with the pantry.

So I lounged about on the computer for awhile before realizing I was gathering one hell of an appetite and the total times my stomach was growling per minute escalated to an incomprehensibly high gross. I hesitantly halted my forum, Youtube, and Minecraft-flavored activities, grabbed my wallet, my key(s), and jumped in my car, and was soon off to town.

While I don't normally condone resorting to fast food as a substitute for any other food, there was just not much to use in my house, and after a long, hard couple of hours of running around a track field and tossing a discus until my arm eventually was lobbed away with said disc, I wanted nothing more than to do as little as possible to consume something... edible. Right now, something quick - fast! - that I could eat - food! - was the easiest route. I am only minimally ashamed.

And with that, I arrived at the grievously narrow drive-thru of the only seemingly down-able fast food venue in my town: Sonic. That might not seem like the greatest of places to (be forced to) eat from, but at that point I was desperate, lest my stomach start to consume me from inside out with no intent on ceasing until it's appeased. Pulling up to the window, I had in mind what I wanted: their new fish sandwich, as I wanted to make a point of trying a fish sandwich from all of the restaurants that were frantically slapping it on their menu for some god-awfully ill-fated reason.

As I ordered my meal of a fish sandwich, tater tots, and Ocean Water (because I can't go to Sonic without getting an Ocean Water of my own, as they are my being), I was told my total was something like $8 and some odd change, so I withdrew a $10 bill from my wallet as I pulled around the curb that threatened to remove the fender of my Mustang with no mercy if I dared come even an inch closer.

At the window, a cheeky, albino-pale little girl of about twenty repeated the total and extended her hand for my money. I handed it to her and she closed the window - no problem - but it was what ensued that effectively ruined my evening.

The girl returned to the window with my change and proceeded to hand me $2 and something cents. She closed the window before I was able to tell her that she gave me far too much change (as it should have exceeded no more than $1 and something change) so I reached out and gave the window a light rap. I saw the girl look at the window from afar and she saw me knock, but she chose to walk away without even considering my presence.

I grimaced. My eyebrow twitched.

I rapped on the window again and I swear she stomped back to her original position at the window, and with the most plastic, aped smile I've ever witnessed, she asked simply, 'Yes?' I responded by saying that she had simply given me too much change, and her Botox-injected smile melted away with as quickly as she had ignored my first knock on the window and what replaced it was the nastiest, rudest expression I've been given by a fast food restaurant employee before, which should normally be a stretch. 'How is it wrong?' she said, each word filled with more red hot intensity than the last.

I very calmly, respectfully replied that she had given me a dollar more than necessary. She completely disregarded what I said, snatched the bills and coins from my hand, dropping a dime to the pavement below, and slammed the window shut again. I saw her very meticulously counting it out again, and as the window slowly swung open again, as she had not sealed it properly, I restated that it was just a dollar too much. For a split second, I was on the receiving end of the ugliest death stare ever conceived by anyone but the Devil himself, and she practically tossed (but not really) the money, now correct, minus the dime she had so rudely dropped, back to me.

She disappeared behind the window, and five minutes later (this Sonic is slow afdkjd) reappeared, handed me my food, said 'have a good day' with a very complacent attitude as if she had won some sort of battle, and I shoved off for home.


People like this doing such superficially insignificant things (at least that's how it might seem to other people) ruin such good days for me.