H2-Slow, Part 23

I’m a waitress in a slightly upscale Indian restaurant in a town famous for both its university and golf course. We get a lot of tourists.

A couple comes in one evening and asks (after some confusion) for water. They’re obviously tourists and aren’t British, and I understand from traveling myself that it’s sometimes it’s confusing in a foreign country figuring out the best place to buy even simple things. I direct them back toward town where, a minute’s walk away, there is a grocery store where they can buy a cheap bottle of water. It’s later in the evening, so most shops are closed but this one will stay open and is literally on the same street as our restaurant, so it is easy to find. They thank me and leave, and I feel pleased with myself for being able to help them navigate somewhere new.

A little while later, they show up again. I’m confused, wondering if I misunderstood that they wanted a bottle of water before heading to the bus. Maybe they now want to eat?

No, they are just very lost. Somehow, they missed the store one minute away.

Couple: “We can’t find anywhere open to buy water, so can we please buy some? Everywhere is closed. You are the only open place they can find!”

I did ask a manager. We obviously do not sell plastic bottles of water at our nice restaurant. We offer tap water to customers, or they can buy a fancy bottle of still or sparkling water. They’re expensive and come in large glass bottles.

After some conferring and back and forth with the couple, who were adamant that they couldn’t find any open stores — despite me walking them to the door and pointing down the street where we could LITERALLY see the lights for the grocery store — we eventually sold them an almost £10 large glass bottle of water for them to carry to the bus station.

They could have found something for under £1 if they’d just walked straight down the street as I showed them many times.

Related:
H2-Slow, Part 22
H2-Slow, Part 21
H2-Slow, Part 20
H2-Slow, Part 19
H2-Slow, Part 18