To The Bitter End
I was out shopping with my mother, my cousin, and a good friend. We had spent the whole day looking for a wedding dress for me and had already had several appointments in different boutiques. We’d been on our feet for hours and desperately needed a caffeine boost, so we popped into a small bakery café for a quick break.
My father works for a coffee company and sometimes brings home a very mild, low-acid blend that’s supposed to be easier to drink. Even then, I still need it drowned in milk and sugar to make it tolerable — I’m not exactly fond of coffee. Normally I avoid it altogether, but today was an exception. We still had a lot left to do, and I was running on fumes.
The cashier was unfriendly from the moment we walked up. My mother, cousin, and friend placed their orders without issue. When it was my turn, I politely explained:
Me: “Hi, I don’t really like coffee. Could you recommend something with a lot of milk and as sweet as possible? I’m not familiar with the menu.”
She didn’t answer. She just started making a drink in silence. A few seconds later she slammed a to-go cup full of straight black coffee in front of me and said curtly:
Cashier: “Milk and sugar are over there. Do it yourself.”
I was stunned. I tried to explain that this wasn’t what I’d asked for, but she didn’t seem to understand what I wanted. My mother, cousin, and friend jumped in to back me up, all of us repeating that I had requested something milky and sweet because I don’t drink black coffee.
After we finally got through to her, her response was:
Cashier: “Not my fault if you can’t order properly.”
We asked for a refund, but she refused, insisting I had received exactly what I ordered.
At that point I was too exhausted to argue anymore. I walked over to the milk and sugar station and poured in as much of both as the cup could physically hold.
I choked the whole thing down. It was, without exaggeration, the most disgusting thing I have ever tasted. The bitterness still came through strongly, and the milk and sugar I’d added didn’t really do anything against the burnt taste. It also gave me painful stomach cramps that lasted for hours.
Despite everything, we actually managed to find a beautiful wedding dress later that day, but because of the stomach cramps, we almost had to cancel the rest of the tour.
