We thought we should stop for coffee before I went in to work today. We stopped. We ordered. We waited. No coffee came. Those who arrived after us were enjoying their coffee. I could wait no longer. I had to get to work. I went to the counter and said: "I'm sorry; our coffees haven't come and I have to get to work. Can you scratch them off the list?" The person behind the counter (who was also the person who took our order; we are regulars there, "the usual" is a known quantity) said: "Okay, no problem." We left.
It only struck me later that this was a slightly odd response. The problem was wholly ours: loss of half an hour's work time for no coffee is no quid pro quo. I will see what kind of belated apology I get tomorrow. As Dick Cheney would say, all options are on the table.
