Just Let It Go?

It’s kind of weird.  I’m already in a funky mood due to the events happening in Aurora today, so maybe this just hit me at the wrong moment – I don’t know.

I needed to run some errands; bank, gas, store.

Bank was a breeze, as usual.  Stopped in the gas station, filled up, cleaned the windows – usual stuff.  Normally, that’s it and I leave.  Today, I was standing there thinking about my workshop tomorrow – I will be presenting an author marketing workshop at a writer retreat – and realized I’d be driving early in the morning.  I’m not a fan of the whole coffee in a thermos mug while you’re driving thing.  I do, however, enjoy those little Starbuck’s Frappucino’s.  So I decided to splurge, spend a couple bucks and pick one of those up and keep it in the fridge overnight for my trip tomorrow.

I head inside and immediately my stomach responds to the scent of freshly baked bread.  They have a Subway.  Turning left, I head through the shelves full of candy bars, overpriced aspirin and chips to the GIANT WALL O’DRINKS! (echo: drinks… drinks… drinks…)  I can’t find the little coffees to save my life, so I ask and am pointed in the general direction.  Alas, they do not have the one I like and I don’t feel like shelling out $2.75 for one I don’t care for.  I turn and my eye alights upon some Mt Dew.  I have not had any Dew in quite some time.  Since I already decided to splurge…

Grab the Dew and head to the register, which is by the door.  I can still smell that Subway, though.  They’re on the other side of the place, even have a few little tables for people to sit and eat and their own entrance/exit.  And the bread smells sooooooo good…  I pay for the Dew and then head over to Subway.

It’s been months since I’ve had Subway.  I think.  Pretty sure.  Can’t remember the last time I had it, so it’s probably been since February, at least.  (when I became unemployed)  Walk up to the ‘Order Here’ sign.  No one is there.  I look around.  Can see the bread baking in the oven thing.  Lean over the counter, and I see someone standing behind a little wall.  I say, “Hello?”  She looks at me.  Someone else appears to take my order.

I order my sandwich, she starts making it.  The other person I saw comes out, washes her hands, asks me if I want chips & a drink, which I don’t.  She sees that I’m carrying Mt Dew, walks to the register and starts ringing me up so I grab my wallet to pay.

“You can pay for everything at the same time.”

“Oh, I already paid for the Dew.”  I take out my money.

“Okay.”  She hands me a receipt and walks away.

“Hello?  I need to pay?”

She turns around, clearly annoyed.  “You don’t pay here.  You pay over there.”  She points to the register by the door.

“You’re kidding?”

The second lady says something to her that I can’t hear.  The first lady rolls her eyes at me.  “You have to pay over there.”

“Why?” I ask.  She shrugs and walks away.  Second lady finished making my sandwich.  I take sandwich and receipt to the other register; cashier is gone.  I look around, don’t see him.

“Hello?”

His head pops up from an aisle.  “Hello!”  He walks over, gets back behind the counter.  I hand him the receipt.

“I guess I have to pay for this here.”

“Yes, yes.”

“Seems inconvenient given Subway is over there and they have their own register.”

He nods but says nothing.

“So, who’s bright idea was it to have people pay here instead of over there?”

He tells me the total.  Okay.  I hand over the money.  He hands me the change, turns his back and walks away.

“No love, then?”

He turns around, eyes wide.

“I mean to say, you don’t actually give a shit?”

“What, what?”

“Never mind.”

I left.  I won’t go back.

And the bread is dry/stale.

Sigh.

…just don’t expect to pay for it here.

~P