Dishing Out A Lesson in Politeness
“Great!” I said, still smiling. “I’ll get that for you right away.” And then I leaned a little and let my smile fade. “And if you ever snap your fingers at any of our staff again, I will personally escort both of you out of here and you will not be welcome back again. Ever.” Both of their faces went from smug to surprised. Like they’d never been told “no” before or, more to the point, like they’d never been called out for being unnecessarily rude. I straightened up, brought my smile back and said, “Just the cheese? Anything else right now?”
But gratitude isn’t just about the big, existential stuff. It’s also in the details—the smell of gasoline on a cold morning, the sting of whiskey after a long day, the way the world looks at 4:00am when you’re too wired to sleep.