I decided this morning that I was going to stop for coffee on my way into work. There are so many reasons to stop – The yummy goodness of coffee, the little pick-me-up that I get, the REALLY CUTE Barista……. But I digress.
My intention was to get a Caramel Light Frappuccino because they taste really good and they are pretty low in calorie. As I turned into the parking lot of my work Starbucks (I have a work Starbucks which is around the corner from my office and a home Starbucks which is about a mile from my apartment – and they know me by name and drink at both…… again, I digress), I noticed that there was a car at the little order taking box thingy so I pulled in behind them, opened my sunroof a bit and put the radio a little louder. As I sat listening to the new Madonna/Justin Timberlake song and watching the sky, my mind drifted off to Coffee Heaven and how wonderful an Iced Venti Vanilla Caramel Latte would taste……. The subtle sweetness of the vanilla and caramel together and the wonderful taste of the latte, all blended together to make a little piece of heaven just for me! As I watched the car in front of me pull ahead to the pick-up window and remembered the horrible taste of that disgraceful skinny latte I went into a mini- coffee panic! I want to be “a good girl in the diet world” but that is just cruel and unusual punishment for a true coffee lover such as myself. As the speaker began to crackle “Welcome to Starbucks….” my mind went blank. What do I do? Do I order crap coffee or do I get what I want and take the hit in calories? AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!! Too much pressure for me to deal with and not have caffeine…… that’s what this dilemma was all about, my caffeine!! Before Stephanie had finished her welcome, I screamed into the menu box/microphone in a panicked voice “ICED VENTI VANILLA CARAMEL LATTE WITH CARAMEL SAUCE DRIZZLE AND WHIP CREAM……. EXTRA DRIZZLE!” I felt a sense of relief once the order was placed but then I realized what I had done, I had ordered not only the real deal but added extra caramel and whip cream! My eyes bulged open and I covered my mouth like a 5 year old who had just been caught by Mom saying things she isn’t suppose to say. I had gone from one extreme to the other!! I mumbled “Shit! I can’t believe I did that!” and grabbed my steering wheel and considered speeding out of the line and out of the parking lot in shame but then I realized that if I did that, I wouldn’t get my coffee!! The menu box giggled at me and said “Excuse me?” to which I responded “I’m sorry, I am having issues right now. Can I get a Chop Chop Salad with that also?” She gave me my total and I slowly drove to the window to get my order. I had to wait for a minute or 2 until the car in front of me pull away so I had a few moments to contemplate my next step….. do I get to the window and change my order or do I just deal with the consequences of my actions, enjoying my coffee in the process? This was quite a dilemma but as soon as I saw the car in front of me pull away from the window, I knew what I had to do and I was prepared!! I pulled up to the window and saw my REALLY CUTE barista smiling at me and asking if I was OK. Ya’ see, he was training Stephanie and overheard the entire incident!! Ok, so now, not only was I “a bad girl in the diet world” but I was utterly humiliated and wanted to crawl under a rock and weep! I smiled and apologized for my erratic and explained that I was struggling with my drink choice as yelled out my order before I had really decided. He laughed at me and said “This is why I like you! Everytime you come thru the window, we have some fun!” I laughed and handed him my money and he handed me a bag with my salad and then my drink. I put my sunglasses back on while I waited for my change. Cutie Pie handed me a $5 bill and some change but this was wrong. I handed him a $10 bill so I should have only gotten back some change. I told him that he had made a mistake but he said “No, I haven’t made a mistake, look at your receipt once you get to your office but not before. Now get to work young lady!” I smiled and drove off. Once I got to my office and sat down at my desk, pulled the receipt out of my purse and looked at it. At the bottom of the receipt, Cutie Pie had written me a little note: “Anyone who has that much of a problem choosing what kind of coffee to get, shouldn’t have to pay for it. This one is on me.” WOW! That Vanilla Caramel Latte is normally really good but it tastes so much better when it is free!! After all that, I decided to take the hit in calories for my coffee and really enjoy it…… and I did!! I called Starbucks later in the morning to thank Cutie Pie for his generosity and to ask what kind of milk was used (whole or 2%) in my drink. Fortunately, it was 2% so my drink wasn’t quite as bad as I expected.
I made a decision that I would not make myself suffer when it comes to coffee, maybe I will just get a smaller size or stick with the 2% rather than whole milk. Don’t think I could handle going thru that again!