Day 33: A-OK
Delivering hot cider.
Sunday, Dec 8
Today, Ryan and I went to the Christmas Market in the Distillery District. It was SUPER crowded (as we expected it would be) but we came with our jolly attitudes. Our first stop was Balzac’s for our coffee – which on the weekend is always a bit of a hot spot in the Distillery, but today it was a ZOO.
I didn’t mind waiting 20 minutes because standing in the warmth of the coffee shop (despite the constantly opening and closing wooden doors) was better than standing outside for 20 some-odd minutes.
There was a group of 3 older women standing behind us – looked like 2 daughters and their elderly mother. They were very talkative and quite delightful, further making our wait more tolerable. We finally got to the front, ordered our hot beverages, and then were told it would be another 5-10 minutes before our drinks came up at the end of the bar.
I patiently waited at the bar with 2 other girls. The barista called out 2 small ciders once, then twice. It was obvious that no one was coming for them- it was easily assumed that whoever ordered them was new to Balzac’s (and perhaps not used to a larger city’s espresso etiquette). I immediately remembered the ladies who had stood behind us and looked around for them. I saw them and asked if they had ordered 2 ciders. They had not, and then I recalled an elderly couple who was 3 patrons behind us, I had seen them a few moments ago when I stepped back from the cash shortly after ordering.
I looked around the café for them, and sure enough they were seated [empty-handedly] at a table by the stairs. I went over and asked if the 2 ciders were theirs: it was. The woman walked over with me and realized she would need lids to carry them steadily. I asked if she wanted lids, but then just offered to carry them over to her table as-is instead. She said yes, so I carried them over to where she and her husband were seated. They thanked me, and I walked back over to the bar…. waiting for my drink still!
I was happy that my long wait allowed me a serendipitous opportunity act of kindness to arise. A lesson to those in a hurry: if you slow down to look around, chances are someone could use a hand while you wait until your turn.
the noel project 