The Fritter Defense…..

Have you ever had one of those days? You know the ones….something happens that sets off the day and you just know it’s going to be a bad day……

Well, today was definitely one of those days. Practically every morning, on my way to work, I stop by the Starbucks down the street. To say that I’m a creature of habit would be a slight understatement as, by the time I get through line and to the counter, they have my venti coffee and my apple fritter sitting there waiting for me…..

The first omen that today was not going to be like every other day was that when I got to the counter, the kid was standing there with an expectant look like he was actually waiting for me to order…..ok, fine….he’s new and hasn’t memorized my order yet, I guess I can let this slide…..so I ordered…. I’ll have a venti drip and a fritter please….
And then it happened…..my whole morning just went to hell in a handbasket when he said….I’m sorry, we don’t have fritters, would you like something else????

This phrase signaled the beginning of the end of my normal good day…..

Lest you think I’m putting too much emphasis on this simple phrase, let me explain just how that signified the ruination of my day….

Now, you wouldn’t think that 5:45 in the morning would be a busy time, but at this Starbucks, that is right smack in the middle of rush hour….So, when I, still half asleep, was asked to actually make a decision as to what pastry I might want in lieu of my regular fritter, it caused a backup in the same way someone missing their exit on 880 and trying to back up in the fast lane would….

I had to step out of line, look over at the display case, decide what I wanted and then tell the kid behind the counter. Each of these processes took upwards of 2-3 seconds which in Starbucks rush hour time is like 10 minutes. Remember, these are coffee-deprived, half awake, angry people that I was now forcing to wait for their elixir…..

So, after having been rushed by the angry mob (well, I’m assuming they were angry…they could have just woken up grumpy) to come to a decision, I decided on a blueberry muffin, handed over my well worn Starbucks card, got my goodies and went to the creamer/sugar section. Still totally rattled from the ordeal of them not having my fritter and hoping against hope, that the muffin would be an adequate replacement, I walked in a daze back to my truck, got in and started it up….

Well, obviously I was still battling with my forced decision and was definitely distraught that my routine had been broken because I wasn’t paying attention and pulled away from the curb and right into a passing truck!!!

Yep….my first accident since I don’t know when….the worst part was that as soon as I started to pull out I saw the guy in my peripheral vision, but was powerless to do anything…I was going to slow to swerve back and just flinched as my front bumper raked the side of his truck….

We immediately pulled over and exchanged info and I really felt bad for the poor guy. He had a nice older chevy truck and seemed like a nice guy. He was pleasant and polite and in no way did he express what could have been very righteous anger at Starbucks for causing the incident…..as for me….well, I’m sure once I get a lawyer that will take my case I stand to gain millions in damages based on my soon to be famous Fritter Defense….