dugongs and slice

I know I said that I was going to be writing about babies and what not but something far more pressing has come up and I need your help.

It all started yesterday when I was purchasing a piece of caramel slice for my morning tea at our local trademarked american stye coffee house (or LTASCH). Now I know some of you will say if I am purchasing food from (LTASCH), then really I deserve what I get, because clearly I have no morals, but you can shut up. It’s very close to work and I am lazy. I had selected this particular sweet because it looked fantastic and it was a size suitable for sharing with the receptionist (because as forgiving as leggings are, they are not miracle pants).

It was what happened next that spurred this post, the girl behind the counter took out my slice, cut it in half and put one half in a paper bag and the other half back in the cabinet.

"Um... did you just cut that in half?!?" I was incredulous, and shrill to boot.

This girl then employed the best defense possible, the dugong. By this I mean that she reacted to my shrill displeasure with expression so impassive it stopped me in my tracks (google image search dugong and scroll to the one poking out its tongue, that’s the expression) and said "Yes."

"Well...I'm not very impressed." Lame I know, but her apathy knew no bounds, and heaven knows you can’t argue with a sea cow. On closer inspection the slices in the cabinet did have a score mark on them but unless you are the sort to inspect cabinet food at close range you honestly wouldn't have seen it. I had already paid and people were looking, so I took my sad half a slice and left, muttering vengeful thoughts to myself.

Back at work the receptionist was just as aghast; of course the fact we were now faced with a pathetic quarter of a caramel slice for morning tea probably had something to do with this. Spurred on by her, I decided to phone whoever was responsible and complain, which I did, and I am now owed one coffee, which I have to go in and ask for. Yup, I have to go back to the dugong and ask for my free apology coffee.

So here is where I need help, deep down I am a somewhat petty soul and I want that coffee to make up for my missing slice. But I am also a sensitive soul and even the thought of going in and asking for the coffee makes me embarrassed. What to do, what to do…

So if any one out there has an opinion I’d love to hear it. At the moment I’m giving the coffee a miss.