Starbucks, America's leading provider of high fructose, caffeinated drinks...this is where I started my day yesterday.Waiting in line for anything is never exciting. Waiting in line for caffeine? Painful. Purely so. Yesterday, I made the mistake of stopping at Starbucks on Coleman Blvd. in Mt. Pleasant to get one of my little guilty pleasures, a green tea lemonade. This Starbucks was NOT like my fun, friendly, little Starbucks downtown that is employed by friendly (and cute) workers who remember my drink and ask about my day. No. This Starbucks was filled with snotty, upper-class suburban mom's and their friends. Let me just digress for a moment and get on my soap-box about luxury/gourmet drinks and conveniences, such as Starbucks. I will admit that I give over some change to this crazy American indulgence, but I work. I need caffeine. I'm not just popping in to meet with my other rich, jobless, friends for a leisurely chat and a 100 calorie mini-doughnut. No. I go to Starbucks for a purpose. Such was the case yesterday morning.
As soon as I walked through the door, I knew it was a mistake that I had stopped. Moving with swift speed, I pulled open the heavy glass door and was met with loud chatter and shrills from running children. I was quickly halted in an attempt not to hit the guy standing directly in front of me. I removed my sunglasses and attempted to assess the movement of the line. Ok, is the caffeine worth this line and the people in this store? I am pretty tired and a venti green tea lemonade would be nice to sip across the bridge to work. Ok, ok. I give in. I will be patient for once in my life and endure the line. That seemed to be a good choice, as the line seemed to be going pretty good until...she got up to the counter.
I don't know this woman at all. This make-up-less woman wearing a diamond the size of a golf ball, and hauling a huge baby carrier holding a small infant, stepped up to the counter. Fine, I get it. The woman obviously has a lot of money, wait correction, her husband has a lot of money and she is here getting a morning Starbucks, whatever. Fine. But does she have to think about it? Hasn't she been standing in line for ten minutes like the rest of us? Sigh. and more people are coming into the store--wait, this one's cute. Tall? Check. Dark hair? Check. oooooo Chef's jacket, added bonus. Wait, wait...dang he has a ring on. Then a woman's high pitched voice disrupts my thoughts, "hey honey, is it the grande pike's place with half and half?" The guy in the chef's jacket turns around to answer big diamond....ugh. He's married to HER?! Ok. I want my drink let's hurry it up woman. This back and forth conversation goes on for I swear five minutes with her husband before she ever completes her order. By that time, I am highly regretting my decision to stop at Starbucks.
Finally, big diamond and her chef move out of the way and the line moves swiftly. Now one thing you need to understand about Starbucks is that they don't fix the drinks according to difficulty. They make them in the order they were ordered. That's understandable. However, my green tea lemonade takes half the time to make than the trente mocha caramel frappacino with extra whip cream that this ten year old boy in front of me just ordered. Children drinking insane amounts of sugar and caffeine--another story for another time. Anyways, I move up to the wait counter and stand next to diamond and listen to her conversation with another young woman with a child. "Oh, Anna Grace is soooo cute. OMG, look at her! She is already doing Yoga positions. Can you believe it?" Me: No, I can't believe that I am hearing this conversation. I want my green tea lemonade! Very good, this lady is going to help out this poor girl trying to make twenty frappucino's and make the tea orders. ahhhhh, here comes my drink. Wait, why is she sitting it on the counter, it's done, just hand it over and no-one gets hurt.
Well, I guess Starbucks woman was enamored with diamond and yoga baby too because next thing I know she has left the work area and has gone to goo and gaaa over yoga baby. "Venti green tea lemonade?" "Yes, that is mine, thank you." I take my drink and quickly navigate through all the madness and push open the heavy door to the warm outside air and serenity. I get in my car and start heading towards Ravenel as I take a big sip of my green tea, only to realize that they did not put sugar in my drink. Lovely. Not only did I have to undergo suburban tourture to get my caffeine, now I am being tortured by the bitter taste.
I finally made it to work, in one piece, and surprisingly, I felt awake. I worked through the morning until about mid-afternoon when my office--and when I say office, I pretty much mean all five of us, decided we needed our afternoon Starbucks. I volunteered to make the run since I was needing an excuse to get out. I walked out into the courtyard and into the sunshine and slowly made my way towards Calhoun street. I approached the street, and admiringly gazed at my little downtown Starbucks. I crossed the street, and pulled the big wooden door towards me and walked into a sane, quite, coffee shop, and was greeted with smiles and hellos. I immediately approached the counter, "Hey, you're here for the Venti green-tea lemonade right?" Smiling, I hand over my Starbucks card to Tall, dark-haired, and un-ringed Starbucks guy. "That's right, you remembered." We engage in some light conversations while he whips up my drink and in seconds I am holding my cool drink walking across the wide street in the hot sun. I walk across the courtyard towards Randolph Hall and take a sip of my tea, and guess what? It was sweet.
