The true story of my first-day-on-the-job mishap

When I was fifteen years old, I got my first job working as a waitress in a local donut shop. It was my first “real” job and I wanted to make a good impression. I ironed my new dress with an apron and even put on nylons for the big day.

Standing behind the counter, I served coffee and donuts to the patrons walking in the store and waited on the regulars sitting at the coffee bar. My day was going very well and I had even managed a few dollars in tips.

Near the end of my shift, one man entered the shop in a hurry, rushed to the counter, and gave his order.

“I’d like a black coffee with that muffin” he stated, pointing to a big blueberry muffin behind the glass.

I quickly filled a cup with hot coffee, made sure the lid was on tight, and bagged his muffin to go. He did not have time to have the muffin heated, so I just placed a butter pad with a plastic knife in his bag. He paid and was gone again.

As I was clearing away dishes in a last attempt to clean my area before my shift was over, the man who had been in just minutes earlier returned.

He was still in a hurry, but this time he seemed quite upset with me.

He demanded to know what sort of joke I was playing on him. I was bewildered and stammered something about not knowing what he was talking about.

He drew the muffin out of his bag and hammered it on the counter.

The muffin did not crumble.

It did not fall apart.

It was rock hard!

Still dazed by his display, I looked around for some help when I saw a fellow waitress snickering behind the counter.

Through her laughter, the waitress explained to both the upset man and me that I had mistakenly given the man the actual display muffin that had been lacquered with preservative.

The real muffins were kept fresh in the pantry in the back of the store.

(First featured on Medium platform December 14, 2020)