The Cup Runneth Over With Confusion

This was several years ago, back when I was around eight and very shy. I was at a local Mexican restaurant when I decided to fill my drink. I had gotten a water cup since I had a drink in the car. As I filled my drink — the station was right next to the ordering counter — all of a sudden, one of the workers yelled out to me loudly.

Worker: “Hey! You ordered a water cup.”

I panicked, having been lost in thought, still with my hand on the seltzer bar.

Me: “Uh… Yes.“

Worker: “No soda in the water cups!“

The seltzer bar was built into the Sprite compartment on the machine. I have no clue if these are still used, as where I live, I only really see the Coke Freestyle machines.

I completely forget the word for seltzer. In a moment of clarity, I realized the lever was labeled, so I blurted out what I read.

Me: “I know! I’m just getting soda!“

The worker then gave me a glare and repeated, “Water next!”

I’ve never lived this moment down. I wish I had shaken myself out of it and just told him what I had meant, but child me just ran back to my parents’ table and refused to tell them what had just happened. To the guy behind the counter, I swear I only got seltzer!

It took me six years to go back there, and I was very careful to get a soda cup!