Late For The Sundae Barbecue

I head into a random fast-food place as I’m getting hungry, and by coincidence, I see my grandparents ordering ahead of me. I’m about to go say hi when I realize they’re shouting and berating the poor teenager serving them to the point of tears because they were out of stock of a particular flavor of sundae.

I felt embarrassed and so bad for the worker, but I didn’t know how to handle the situation, so I just left and decided to eat somewhere else. I felt especially bad because they know I also work in a fast-food place while I’m in college, so I thought they’d have a bit more compassion.

That weekend, my grandparents invited everyone over for a backyard barbecue. I intentionally arrive late (one of my grandma’s pet peeves) and she confronts me:

Grandma: “[My Name]! You’re an hour late! You told us you finished work at midday on Sundays, so what’s your excuse, young lady?!”

Me: “Sorry, Grandma. A couple was shouting at my poor teenage coworker, and she was crying and had to take some time to calm down, so I had to take over. Can you imagine? Adults doing that to a poor teenager over an ice cream that’s out of stock?! Something that they have no control over? Those people must live very miserable and meaningless lives if that’s how they treat children. Anyway, how are you?”

Suddenly, my tardiness was forgiven!