I believe in second chances. I didn't used to but as I grew older and wiser, I relented to the fact that yes, for as long as there is life, there is hope.
Reading the opening line might prompt one to think that this piece would be about some thought-provoking or overwhelming experience. It's not. But I feel the need to share how an unpleasant experience turned into a really nice one.
About four weeks ago, my family together with my mother, decided to take lunch at a pizza parlor downtown. What was hoped to be a pleasant lunch break became nerve-racking as the order takers and the cooks seemed to be oblivious to their promise of serving the food in 15-20 minutes. Long story short - the food came one after another, in 15-20 minute intervals! Worse, the pizza tasted like it came from the fridge and was "warmed" on the counter top (the cheese topping was not melted!), the chicken was not cooked through and was served 45 minutes after the order was taken. Disaster!
We demanded for a discount; they gave it, without a whimper! The manager came by, apologized profusely and promised to serve us a free meal the next time we dropped by the mall.
Two days ago, we happened to be at the mall and decided to take on the manager's offer.
I don't know, maybe it was because the crew were conscious about who we were and why we were there. The food was served in 15 minutes, the pasta was tasty and the chicken flavorful. I thanked the manager for the free meal and he thanked me for giving them a chance to make up for the unpleasant experience we had a month ago.
I felt good - who wouldn't? After all, the meal was free! But more than that, it made me feel good that I gave someone a second chance to recover from an embarrassing experience.
But then I felt bad when, after a couple of hours later, I saw a friend post on Facebook his disgust about the SAME pizza parlor's poor service! They were seated next to us on the day the resto was making up for their boo-boo.
Oh, well!
