I went through the drive thru to grab a coffee a couple weeks ago, and when I pulled up after placing my order, the 20-something guy working the window greeted me VERY enthusiastically.
“OH!” he said, his face lighting up. “Hi there! Good to see you!”
I don’t frequent this place enough to earn such instant recognition, so I’m sure my face must have registered some surprise as I greeted him in return.
He busied himself running my credit card, and when he handed it back, he sheepishly said, “I . . . um . . . I think I may have . . . mistaken you for someone else.”
I laughed and said, “That’s okay.”
It’s important to note that, at this point, he was so embarrassed that he could not even bring himself to look at me, much less respond.
"Hey,” I said, “I’m just glad I look like someone who prompted such a happy reaction.”
He still could not respond. I think if he could have melted into my mocha and disappeared, he would have.
I wanted to say, “Aww, buddy. Out of every faux pas you could make, this is like in the bottom five for damage. This is very minor! This is something you can recover from!”
But he silently pressed my coffee into my hand and shrank away, so I didn’t have the chance to reassure him that he’d do so many more embarrassing things in life. And if he was smart, he’d tell a bunch of strangers about it online to brighten their day.