Tales from the Pit - Rock Bottom

There are times when the going gets rough and the rough get going. There are also times when you really really know you've hit rock bottom. This is the story of one of the latter.

Today was a mildly slow day. Our lunch hour wasn't brisk as usual and it just felt a bit sad and slow. I was working on my book and outlining some ideas on the countertop in the afternoon. I hadn't had a customer for about an hour or so. Mildly bored, I walked back to the kitchen area to just think about some stuff and seek a change of scenery. However, I was then recalled back to the front line of duty as a customer came in.

"Hi, how I may help you?" I automatically said to the man who walked in the door. He was rather tall, with light brown skin and eyes that appeared slightly unfocused as he looked at me?

"I would like some chicken fried rice." He said, his Indian accent showing through slightly.

I was momentarily stunned as he watched me, clutching his hat. I didn't expect such a question like this to be asked at all since I thought we were perfectly obvious as a BBQ restaurant.

"Sir, we don't have any chicken fried rice. This is...this is a barbecue restaurant." I shuffled some orders nervously and plastered a fake smile on my face, hoping to convince him to see the obvious error.

"Why? I thought you had chicken fried rice."

And I thought you people would help me with tech support on my damn hard drive, I thought. I became slightly annoyed and furious at his persistence for chicken fried rice. However, for the sake of decorum and business, I internalized these thoughts and shuffled them into the recesses of my mind.

"We do sell chicken sandwiches though, sir. They are quite delicious." I offered the choices, hoping he would take them.

"What kind of chicken sandwich?" He asked, looking at the menu briefly.

"It's a chicken sandwich. With chicken. That is pulled and put on the bread with sauce, pickles, and onions." I replied tersely. This unexpected turn of events had become unwelcome and entirely ridiculous.

"Oh. Never mind then, thank you." He walked out the door, back to his truck parked in the middle of our lot. My aunts stared at him, genuinely confused and somewhat flabbergasted at the strange litany of questions we had received.

As for me, I figured I had reached rock bottom when an Indian driver walks into a BBQ restaurant manned by Asians and orders Chinese food. Yep, definitely rock bottom.

Thank God for vodka.