stay positive

I like to think I'm fairly in the know as to how the world works. I've seen enough to pass over naive and green and go right to optimistic and trusting of peoples' good nature. Maybe too trusting, because sometimes I am shocked at the behaviour of some.

Yesterday, I was serving this table - two families, each with two little kids - and one of the other servers had warned me that the Dad from one was a jerk. I figured, I'd just make a point of being extra friendly and on top of my game, and that would be that. And don't get me wrong - I am a good waitress. I don't make a lot of mistakes, and most of the time, I let things roll off my back. I don't let rude people get to me. This guy, however, was so incredibly rude and ignorant and just plain mean, that it blew my mind. He spent an hour mocking me, berating me and making jokes at my expense and at the end of it, took my pen and flung it on the ground. For what reason, I have no idea. After that, I pretty much lost it and went to the bar to cool off for a couple minutes, and when one of the servers asked if I was okay, I just started crying. And I couldn't stop.

My manager went to confront the guy and he claimed he was just joking around. She was livid. The whole staff, really, was livid. Apparently these guys are regulars and several other servers have complained about their behaviour.

What really threw me was just how unwarranted it was. What kind of person goes into a restaurant with his family and has a good time by making fun of someone who, not only has been nothing but pleasant to them, but is actually doing them a service? His kids couldn't have been older than eight. What kind of example is he setting for his children when he spends his night out making girls cry?