Tonight after dinner the kids and I took a walk to the 24-hour Krispy Kreme around the corner from us. After a leisurely walk of about 8 minutes we arrived at our destination. Shortly thereafter, a nice man sitting in a parked truck by the front entrance yelled out that the store was closed for walk-in customers. He bit into his doughnut before adding that the only way to procure some for ourselves at this hour was to get in the drive-through lane.
My first thought – how have I not known this after living next to this Krispy Kreme for 6 years? Quickly followed by – damn, the kids are going to lose it.
To my surprise, the kids kept it together. There was a quick discussion about whether it was a good idea to walk-up to the drive through window. Or if we should walk home and then drive back. Or if we should go for ice cream instead?
While we were patiently taking stock of all our options, another nice patron – this time a lady; parked next to the man in the truck; also enjoying a doughnut – popped open her car door and asked with a very kind and sincere face if I’d like for her to get in the drive-through line so that the kids could have some doughnuts.
Let’s just say that my faith in humanity was restored by her offer.
The kids’ faces lit up as they looked to me for an answer. I responded like any boring reasonable adult would; which is to say I replied with a Oh no, thank you so much. I was certainly tempted by the generous offer, but the drive-through line was 10 deep and it felt wrong to ask a stranger to spend their time doing us a favor like this.
We walked away without any doughnuts or tears or ill feelings. It was what it was.
Dessert wise the loss was mostly mine because there is no replacing the satisfaction of biting into a freshly made, still hot, glazed, Krispy Kreme doughnut which feels as light as a cloud and melts into your mouth as if it were only a dream.
What I lost in sugary goodness, I gained in knowing that there are nice people in this world who’d give up half an hour of their time to wait in a drive-through line to give strangers their doughnut fix. And that the kids are all right you know; they are going to do just fine when life doesn’t give them what they want from time to time.
Yes, sure, if given the option between a lesson and a doughnut, it’s hard to knowingly refuse the latter. But the Universe did its thing, knowing that what I needed the most right now was a tiny silly reminder that the world isn’t going to hell. And for that I am very grateful.
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