I treat myself on Friday mornings with a Dunkin’ Donuts dark roast coffee. It’s a boost of caffeine and goodness to start the weekend. (Or at least get me through the final workday before the weekend.)
I hadn’t yet pulled out of the parking lot when I reached for the cup to take that first, wonderful morning sip. I’d ordered a small (indulgence in moderation), and the cup was buried to the hilt in my car’s cup holder. I was driving, and I couldn’t get a full grip, so the cup lifted about an inch before the lid came off in my hand and coffee went flying. It spilled out into the cup holder, onto the parking break handle, and most critically, onto my hand. It was scalding hot, just like I like it.
Just not on my hands.
Cursing and blowing on my burned fingers, I pulled into the nearest parking spot to survey the damage. I’d lost about half an inch of coffee, not a disaster, but necessary to clean up before I continued. I opened the glove box where I always keep a stack of napkins.
Of course, now there were no napkins because this was my new car and I had neither transferred any over from my old car nor accumulated new ones from fast food restaurant stops.
I went into the Dunkin’ and told the ladies at the counter what had happened. They graciously gave me a roll of paper towels to use instead of eight thousand tiny paper Dunkin’ napkins. Back in the car, I set the cup on the console between the front seats and started soaking up the cream-filled coffee from the car.
The damage wasn’t too bad. I balled up the sodden paper towels and took them inside the Dunkin’ to throw away. I got back into the car, pulled the door closed, and immediately bumped the cup—still on the console instead of back in the cup holder—with my elbow, knocking it over backwards and spilling its entire contents onto the floor of the back seat.
Eight in the morning and this was obviously not my day.
So back I went into the Dunkin’ for another roll of paper towels. I had just installed rubber all-weather mats in the back, so it was a fairly easy affair to mop up the spill.
But now I had to face this day with a car that smelled like coffee and no caffeine to boot.
This might have ruined my morning, but when I went back inside to again throw away the used paper towels, the lady had a replacement cup of coffee waiting for me on the counter, no charge.
So maybe it wasn’t such a bad morning after all.
But just to be safe, I secured that coffee in the cup holder and didn’t touch it until I parked at my office and used two hands to pull it free.
Two times and I’ve learned my lesson.
For now.
Wow. I think you need to just stick to coffee and breakfast at home!
But it’s true: It’s near impossible to go “fast” through any of these places. Something will always go askew. The Laws of Murphy and fast food exist in world we can never understand.