cheering up the depressed barista
written 27.03.2024
yesterday my choir teacher taught me that if you do something once its a one off but if you do something twice its a habit. in the last twelve hours i have started the habit of eating all my groceries on the way to the checkout. i dont know why, but lately i am constantly parched and famished. today i went to woolworths to buy some lunch and before i knew it i had eaten an entire box of cruskits on the way to the milk aisle, and then before i knew it i had drunken a whole choc-chill before i got to the confectionary aisle, and then before i knew it i had eaten a whole afl yowie on the way to the self service. the yowie i got was the worst yowie (rumble) and its jersey was for the worst team (collingwood). i had to think twice about even scanning the foil but i am trying to live virtuously.
earlier this morning i was at the university cafe and it was very busy. under the bell jar i saw some cinnamon donuts. i didnt want to cause further delay by asking so i lifted the lid myself and took a donut with my hand. the donut was greasy to the touch and i kept palming it between my hands to lick the sugar off my fingers. the reason the line was long was because the cashier was depressed. her movements were slow and her eyes were lagging and she looked like she had been crying. i wanted to ask her 'are you ok' because i am kind hearted but i was too far back in line so i kept on eating the donut. when i had finished almost all of it, i thought i would get another as i needed to have something to dip into my coffee later. i lifted the lid again and took another.
the line was still moving slow so i began to eat the donut again. when i got to the till i opened my hands to show the two donut fragments. i tried to give the depressed barista an empathetic smile as if to say ‘i’ve also been there’ but i was surprised when she frowned and said in a very harsh voice: 'the donuts arent self service you know’. i thought, ok well now im definitely not going to ask about your mental health because there is truly no use talking to someone who is mad at me for doing something i didnt even know i wasnt supposed to do.