Everyday Villains

We all encounter people in the course of our lives that annoy us. I’m not talking about friends or family, but those who just occasionally bump into our world. I figured that every few weeks or so that I would “salute” those people and I'm going to call it "Everyday Villains

Today, I salute Atul. Atul is a guy who works at the Dunkin Donuts that I go to just about every day. I think that he may be a manager/owner of some sort. Now I’ve been to a lot of Dunkin Donuts, but I’ve never seen one so wildly inefficient. It’s almost supernatural. As a rule, I don’t normally hop on folks for not being great at their job. I’ve worked in a bookstore and I know that folks are almost always trying hard. So, I know where they’re coming from.

Atul is the exception to that rule. He, without fail, makes creepy small-talk with every female under the age of 32 that darkens his Dunkin Donuts’ door. It’s the same thing with each one. He calls them by name, asks if they want their usual order, and then inserts something like “how you sister?” Meanwhile, I’m standing behind the broken-down townie that he’s trying to chat up, just hoping that I can get to class on-time. When I do get to the front, he barely acknowledges me and, invariably, gets my order wrong. (Milk and no sugar, by the way). In the end, everyone ends up annoyed.

So, thanks Atul! You make every day just a little bit.