The Big Guy At Taco Bell

While I was waiting at Taco Bell for my order to be filled, a large talkative man who was standing behind me said, "Can you believe this place?"

At first I didn't even know he was talking to me but I looked around and noticed there was no one else standing nearby. I looked behind me and said to him, "What happened?"

He said, "Can you believe how hot it is in here?"

He was right it was very muggy in the restaurant.

I said, "Yeah, their air conditioning doesn't seem to be working very well."

He practically yelled at me, "It's not working at all!!!" He was sweating profusely.

It suddenly felt like he was blaming me for the lack of air conditioning. So I just agreed within him rather than argue about the matter, "Yeah I suppose it's not on at all."

"You're d*** right it's not on. It should feel like an ice box in here!"

And then I watched as the big guy began talking with one of the employees who was taking a break.

(Did I mention he was very talkative? Okay, just checking.)

I couldn't hear what he was saying to the employee, they were on the other side of the dining area. But at one point I smiled because I heard this phrase: "It should feel like an ice box in here!"

The employee wasn't saying very much but he was nodding his head a lot.

About 10 minutes later I noticed it was feeling cooler in the restaurant. The big guy came over to where I was sitting to refill his drink and he said, "Do you feel a difference?"

I said, "Yes, it's cooler."

He said, "They had it turned up."

I said, "The air was on but they had the thermostat set at a higher temperature?"

He said, "Yeah." And he pointed at the employee he had been talking to, "You can thank that guy for getting it straightened out."

I said, "You're the one who raised the issue."

He waved his hand with a "get out of here" motion. Then he walked toward the door and said goodbye to basically everyone in the place, singling out the employee who turned down the thermostat for a special thumbs up.

He paused at the door and said, "Go Bears!" Then he turned and left.

As I watched him walk away I thought, "I'll never see the big guy again." And I continued eating my soft shell taco.