The Foot Long

My friend and I were downtown one evening and with dinner time fast approaching but little money in our pockets, we headed to Subway. Truthfully, we went there because my friend has calculated the exact number of calories in a 6 inch turkey sub on wheat and allows herself to eat there twice a week. She really savors the anemic deli meat sandwiches and the array of bland veggies and breads they offer.

Anyway, as we walk into the small store in Dupont, we find ourselves between an angry woman and a poor fellow behind the counter looking quite bemused. Yells the woman “the sign says FOOT LONGS!!! And you’re telling me you don’t have hot dogs!?” The man replies meekly in broken English, “sorry no hot dog, sandwich.” Pointing to the window sized sign, the customer, now completely irate, screams “How can you have that sign up and no hotdogs!!!!!!!?” The clerk, still confused, repeats “sorry, no hot dog, sandwich.” Quickly realizing the confusion, I was about to interject and explain to the woman, on the sandwich maker's behalf, that the advertisement was for foot long sandwiches, not hotdogs. However, before I could do so, she whipped around and left the store in a huff, grumbling to herself all the way.

Moments later, as my friend begins to order her sandwich, the woman comes back into the store, slumped over and looking ashamed. She apologized and explained her misunderstanding of the advert. For several mintues, she tells us all how sorry she is, how “sincerely sorry” she is and that no, she still does not want a sandwich, but wanted the clerk to know how regretful she was of her behavior. Once she seemed satisfied with her penance, she left once again. Several minutes later we got our sandwiches.


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