Tonight was one of those nights. I placed a simple order inside a fast-food restaurant. One kids meal & one Egg McMuffin, NO cheese. Order #176.
I waited and waited.
Order #177 got their order.
Order #178 got their order.
Ok, I'm still waiting. #177 even commented that she was surprised to get her order before me. I kindly responded that my sandwich was a breakfast sandwich (at 7 pm) with no cheese so likely the delay.
I never acted upset. I never inquired about my food. It was obvious to me that they were busy and the cook, she was having a hard time keeping up. I didn't have to remind her because her manager said, "I need that Egg McMuffin" at least 7 times. Well, I saw the cook assembling said sandwich. I saw her grab the slice of cheese and I saw the order on the screen said NO cheese. As she's placing cheese on my food, I politely said, "The muffin is NO cheese." The cashier assured me it was in the system that way. Cool! Maybe that wasn't my muffin.
The manager once again says, "I need that Egg McMuffin." The cook, with her eyes firmly on me, abruptly informs her that it's in the bin. The manager hands me the bag & mumbles that she's sorry it took so long & asks if I'd like a free dessert to go with my meal. I said, "No thank you. I'd just like to check that there is no cheese." I open it and there is the cheese. The manager offers to remake it. The cheese hasn't melted so I just pull it off, toss it in the bag, and tell her it's all good since I was able to take it off.
Then, it happened!
As I'm walking away, the manager tells the cook she put cheese on the muffin. Very loudly, the cook says, "Well, she (talking about me) should have said something when I was making it!"
Dear Mary-and-Joseph and sweet Baby Jesus! I am sorry to say, that while I feel I "turned the other cheek" back-and-forth over this muffin; all my cheek-turning skills were quickly forgotten! I was already at the door when my skills abandoned me. Right there, in the crowded lobby where Order #179 was still waiting for their food, I yelled as loud as I could that I DID say something when she was making it! Then, I proceeded to walk out the door.
So, why am I pondering this at 2:45 a.m. when I have to be at work in the morning?! One reason could be that the coffee I drank too late in the day today has me wide awake. Another reason could be that even though I had a right to defend myself, I should not have shouted across the lobby making myself look just as ridiculous as the cook. I'm going to go with the second reason.
Even though it truly felt her actions were intentional; I have no idea what may have been going on in her world. The only thing I'm certain of is this: All the good I thought I was accomplishing by being patient while waiting was of no worth the minute I opened my mouth with a response to rival hers. While I can't change my actions, I can choose to end my night admitting my short-comings, asking the Lord for forgiveness, and praying an earnest prayer for the cook who prepared order #176.
