Like Water For Soda

I know this guy, who, whenever we go to a certain restaurant to eat, orders water. That’s fine. I don’t have a problem with ordering water. In fact, I often order water in restaurants. Before I get too heavy into this story, I have to give you some background on the guy and the restaurant.

The Guy: Born and bred to be a Prep School Advocate. He’s proper. He opens car doors. He says things like “All rightie!” and “Dance with the Girl that Brung Ya….” He has old school charm. He gets his shirts professionally cleaned and pressed. He never wears jeans. He is on the board of at least three community organizations & civic groups. He is an active member of his church. He gets involved in local politics…He makes a very good living.

The Restaurant: It’s a chain. It’s one of those places where you order your food, they call your name when it’s ready, and give you an empty cup. You then, fill it yourself at the soda fountain at the end of the counter. If you order water, you get a clear plastic cup. If you order soft drinks, you get a thermal Styrofoam cup.

Every time I’ve been to this particular restaurant with Prep School, he orders water. He gets a little clear plastic courtesy cup. He then proceeds to fill it with Sprite. (AND lemon! Can you believe it?) I think he believes that clear Sprite looks like clear water… Think about THAT for a minute. It's so obvious. For comparison, I like to put my still/flat water RIGHT next to his bubbly Sprite...

I discussed this with Audrey last night. I am pondering mentioning that I think this is positively the cheapest feat of cheapness I’ve ever seen. It’s not as if a) the soft drink costs any more than it does anywhere else, and b) Prep School doesn’t make enough money to pay the $1.25 – or whatever it is.

She said something very interestingly wise: “Maybe you should ask him if all his integrity costs is $1.25.”

I haven’t asked because I’m afraid of the response… I’m not sure I want to embarrass him – because doing so seems even cheaper than the $1.25 of pilfered soda.

Like water for soda, I question the audacity it takes to be so openly cheap. I’m wondering if anyone else has seen any extremely cheap things happening by extremely unexpected people. If so, please dish. I need to feel better about this!