英语小故事第185期：The Spitter

Rudy and Brenda were walking on the sidewalk, approaching the coffee shop. A young man was sitting at an outside table. There were four chairs at the table, but he was by himself.

Just before Rudy and Brenda got up to his table, the young man spit on the sidewalk. Rudy said to Brenda, “Watch out for the spit,” and glared at the young man.

How dare he spit on the sidewalk just as Rudy and Brenda were approaching? But there was nothing Rudy could say in front of Brenda—she would get angry. She was always telling him to ignore jerks. So he ignored this jerk. They found a nearby table with only one chair. Rudy grabbed a chair from the young man’s table, and he sat down.

Rudy went around the corner to buy a newspaper from the newsstand. When he returned, he noticed that the young man was gone. Rudy asked Brenda what she wanted to drink. She said she wasn’t thirsty.

He walked inside to get himself a coffee. Surprised, he saw that the person behind the counter was the spitter from outside. “You work here?” Rudy asked.

“What does it look like?” the young man said.

“Where’s your supervisor?” Rudy asked.

“He’s on break,” the young man said. He definitely had an attitude, Rudy thought. Rudy ordered an extra large orange juice and an extra large latte. A few minutes later, the young man placed them on the counter and said, “Eight dollars.”

Rudy asked for a small cup of water with ice. When the young man turned around to put ice into a cup, Rudy knocked both of his extra large drinks over. The latte spilled onto the counter and then onto the floor behind the counter. The orange juice spilled into the tip basket, which was full of coins and bills. The young man turned around, looked at the mess, and glared at Rudy. Rudy said, “Forget the water,” and walked out.