Making A Meal Out Of It, Part 3

(It is the late 90s. It is the time of the Beanie Baby rush, and the latest kids’ meal toys are mini Beanie Babies. They are in such huge demand people will buy the meals and leave the meals behind, taking only the toy. It’s the night shift, ten minutes to close, and there are no Beanie Babies left except for two that got torn open and can’t be sold. A tired-looking customer steps up to order.)

Customer: “I guess it’s bad to ask if there are any kids’ meals left, huh?”

Me: “Yeah.”

Customer: “Been a rough day, hasn’t it?”

Me: “Oooohh yeah.”

Customer: “I’d like a kids’ meal, but the meal, not the toy. My daughter’s been sick with scarlet fever and is only just now well enough to eat food, and she wants your kids’ meal.”

Me: “Did she want the toy too?”

Customer: “Kind of, but she wants the food too.”

(I reach under the counter to where we are keeping the two already opened Beanie Babies.)

Me: “We actually have two left, but they’re opened so we can’t sell them. Does your daughter want a bear or a lion?”

Customer: “Oh, wow, thank you so much! This will mean so much to her!”

Me: “I have a daughter too and was planning on bringing the ones we couldn’t legally sell to her, but your daughter should get one too.”

(The customer takes the lion, and my daughter still has the bear nearly fifteen years later!)

Related:
Making A Meal Out Of It, Part 2
Making A Meal Out Of It