Kevin Hopson

“Hey, Mitchell.”

“Hey, Jenny.”

“Are you ready to order?”

“Yeah. I’ll have the patty melt with a side of tater tots. And a coffee.”

“Great. Here you go.”

“What’s this?”

“Your bill.”

“I have to pay now?”

“Uh-huh. We’ve had some people skip out on their bill recently, so the owner is making everyone pay before getting their food.”

“This is crazy.”

“I know, but it’s not my call.”

“What if I want dessert?”

“Do you want dessert?”

“I don’t know. I usually make that decision after eating lunch.”

“Well, if you decide you want dessert, I can bill you separately for that.”

“Fine. Here’s a twenty to cover my lunch. You can keep the change.”

“Thanks. I’ll be back with your coffee and receipt.”

✱

“Here you go, Mitchell.”

“What the hell’s this?”

“Your coffee and receipt.”

“But my coffee’s in a Styrofoam cup.”

“I forgot to mention that earlier. We’ve had some clumsy customers lately, and the owner is tired of replacing broken mugs, so we’re serving drinks in disposable cups now.”

“It just doesn’t taste the same in a cup.”

“Sorry.”

“Is there anything else I should know about?”

“I don’t think so, but I’ll give you a heads up if the owner makes any other changes.”

“I have a suggestion.”

“Okay. What is it?”

“How about a change in ownership?”