Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Degeneration of Society

I was standing in line in Carl's Jr when I something caught my attention.
There was an old woman shamelessly sipping diet coke from a complimentary water cup. Then I looked at her husband. Sure enough, he too had a water cup. His was filled with lemonade. Before they left the woman went back to the soda fountain and stole another 12 oz of diet cola for the road.
Now, Maybe there was some kind of mix-up, or maybe they asked for small drinks and when handed the size small cups they found them to be too large and asked for something even smaller. I should think the best of people instead of assuming the worst.
The thing is, we are not big soda drinkers around here. We always end up with at least one water cup when we go out. I usually either get bottled water or soda because I am spoiled and can't drink tap water without gagging, but Baby Girl prefers to have the cup and The Mr. doesn't mind water that tastes like chlorine-dirt punch so he often gets the water cup too.
As I fill the water cups at the fountain I am always aware that I could easily steal a few cents worth of soda if I wished it and I hope that someone is actually watching to see that I do not. It is just one of my quirks.
I have always imagined that people ask for the free cup and put soda in it but I have always imagined those people to be teenagers, some who like to break rules and boast obnoxiously about it, and others who sneakily fill the cup with sprite so their dishonest soda acquisition will not be so painfully obvious.
Old ladies who wear peds with their golden orthopedic sandals, carry large hand bags, and have a better knowledge of the Alfred Dunner inventory at "Pennys" (these women don't bother them selves with saying the "JC") than do the sales associates are not supposed to do things like this.
Perhapse it is a result of Diet Coke addiction. Maybe the woman's coin purse ran dry that day in Carl's Jr and she couldn't get along without her Diet Coke so she sent her husband to the counter to ask for water cups and then made him fill his with lemonade so if by chance she was discovered she could more convincingly play the "In my day the hamburger salesman filled your drink for you, I don't know how this new fangled self serve beverage system works" card.
Oh, Maude, (this I imagine was her name) how could you?

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