customers

while working at world peace this weekend, a woman was really rude to me - the rudest customer i've yet encountered while working there.  and i know these people exist in the world - and i know everyone is fighting their own battles and dealing with their own difficulties - but this woman made me feel like an idiot several times over as i was ringing up her order - she talked to me like she was important and i should hurry up and know what she wanted before she even said it out loud.  as an example: we had a minute-long discussion while a line formed behind her about whether the bread was wheat or multigrain and she had had multigrain when she was here before (not possible, said the chef, when i went to ask) and she guessed wheat was okay if that's all i could offer her.  and then: for the first time ever, i charged her credit card the wrong amount and had to grab our manager to fix it for me.  and i felt like she was justified in believing i was an idiot, because i couldn't even ring up her order.  i gave myself a 5 minute breather in the kitchen to fume about it (and warm up by the ovens - it was cold this weekend and the cold permeates into the front of the restaurant...).

so, i was flustered and grumpy.  but i took a deep breath and traded with the manager (who'd been ringing up orders while i pulled myself together).

and then this happened: two little girls with messy blonde hair and gaps in their smiles from losing teeth came up to the register with their dad's credit card and proceeded to place a very complicated order involving an omelet with nothing but cheese in it and what kind of cheese was it?  and did it come with potatoes on the side?  and toast?  they didn't want potatoes.  but the toast: yes.  lots of toast.  and a strawberry cupcake.  and when i told them all these things were fine, and rang them in, they were so excited about their omelets (one clapped, i think) and the older girl signed their dad's signature on the receipt and i could read her mind: "i am a grown up paying with a credit card and signing a receipt."  and i forgot about the crazy lady who'd made me grumpy earlier.

and this: a woman with down's syndrome came in alone, bought lunch - another semi-complicated order involving one dish for here and one to take home for later, ate it, came back to the front of the restaurant, perused the jewelry in the little shop we have.  i saw her smiling at this pretty flowered necklace that i have also been admiring.  she brought it up to the register and paid for it and left and i imagined how hard her life must be (or maybe it isn't, and i'm being patronizing) and whether she gets judged for having down's and how happy that necklace made her.  and the world was okay again.