Christmas Entitlement

Geez, what is it about the holidays that makes certain people forget their manners, forget that they're talking to another human being, forget that they can't always get what they want when they want it? At least whiny kids have the excuse of being kids, which means they're still maturing and really don't know any better.

And then we have grown men and women who should know better, and yet there's something just plain wrong in that head of theirs this time of year. It happens every single year without fail, and it boggles my mind every single time.

Man, if I had a dollar for every time I've been asked this week alone, "Do you have any more sweet breads? When are you going to get more? Do you have any more cookies in the back? Will there be some tomorrow? Can I buy that gift basket that's already reserved for someone else?"

Which, I suppose, are fair questions. But for goodness' sake, people, this is Christmas we're talking about. What did you expect? Of course, we're going to be clean out of breads, gift baskets, cookies, and all that fun stuff in no time. As a cashier, I can't make any solid guarantees for next time, and besides, if you placed an order ahead of time instead of trying your luck at random, the odds would be a bit more in your favor, wouldn't they?

If you come into the store, you might get some. If you order ahead, it's much more likely that you will get some. You already had at least a month to order all this stuff. Yet, for some people, it's only during the last week that they realize, "Oh, I better hurry and buy some! I gotta get moving!"

One lady had the nerve to ask if we would be open on Christmas Eve so she could buy rolls that very day. And we're closed on Christmas Eve, because we're closed on Sundays. A couple of people even asked me if we'd be open on Christmas Day itself.

I get it: I'm guilty of procrastination, too, and to forget is natural. I understand you want your food as fresh as possible, though I don't think a day or two will do you or your guests any real harm, especially if you store the food properly.

But even so, you don't have to get nasty about it and take it out on us, who are simply doing our jobs and trying to get through this holiday hype in one piece. We've got enough work and stress without an entitled jerk adding to the pile. It's not our fault you put it off so long and we don't owe you any favors.

Furthermore, while I will admit food is important, will a certain cake or bread or cookie or gift basket truly make or break your holiday? Seems to me you entitled few are forgetting what Christmas is really all about, or you just don't care.

What burns me up the most is when people can see darn well how busy we are, they can see with their own eyes how crowded it is, they know for a fact Christmas is less than a week away, and they still have the nerve to complain to our faces about how long they have to wait. At least they only have to wait; they're not the ones scurrying around, putting all the orders together, so it's easy for them to talk.

I may be used to this kind of craziness. It's nothing I really can't handle...but this kind of behavior never ceases to astound me.

As that song goes, "Why you gotta be so rude? Don't you know I'm human, too?"

2023 Inktober 25 - Lion vs Unicorn

For whatever reason, the Lion and the Unicorn are sworn enemies, so that's today's self-imposed prompt.

Terence doesn't mind any kind of animal that lets him be. He's not too terribly friendly with werewolves, but given that a certain pack of werewolves spend a good portion of the story absolutely hell-bent on killing him, can you blame him? This makes his relationship with Beowulf that much more ironic, and Beowulf is the first to admit it.

So, why does Beowulf side with Terence? How does Terence save Beowulf from becoming a complete villain?

Well, Terence goes through a fair bit of hell himself. He gets knocked down plenty of times, but always finds some way to get back up, even if he needs a helping hand. He even shows compassion to Scorpio, notwithstanding he has every reason in the world to hate Scorpio and he'd be totally justified in killing him himself. Beowulf sees a lot of his old self in Terence and is reminded anew of the good things in the world.

The big difference between Beowulf and Scorpio is that Beowulf has known love, whereas Scorpio only ever knew hate and only relied on hate to survive. Scorpio would do absolutely anything to preserve himself, even though he hardly has anything to live for; he's as good as an empty shell. It knocks him for quite a loop when Terence dares to show him compassion, of all things, and he resents how Terence refrains from delivering the killing blow.

Basically, when Beowulf takes a good look at Terence, he sees love all over again, and his belief in it is kindled anew.

Therefore, after Scorpio, Moloth, and the rest are gone and Beowulf is his own master again, he decides to follow Terence and give the side of goodness another try.

Granted, it's far from an overnight process. Terence certainly hasn't forgotten his history with Beowulf, and Beowulf still makes plenty of death threats to Terence's face even if he never follows through with any of them. Then the opportunity comes when each saves the other's life at great personal risk, and then it all snowballs from there.

By the end of Terence's life, the wall between him and Beowulf had been reduced to permanent rubble. Beowulf loves Terence enough to genuinely mourn him when he finally passes away, and he makes himself Daire's special bodyguard from that point on. Of course, he comes and goes on a whim, but he never strays too far, and the day finally comes when he decides once and for all that Daire is his true home.

That's one of the reasons why Beowulf gets along with Reid so well. Reid is practically Terence all over again, albeit with wonderful characteristics all his own, and both he and Terence hold a special place in Beowulf's heart. Once again, Beowulf sees love, hope, and strength incarnate, and most importantly, Reid knows perfectly well what Beowulf is and yet it's not enough to drive him away. He's definitely scared of Beowulf, but he won't run from him. Beowulf wants to be loved but he doesn't want to be taken for granted, so Reid fulfills both requirements nicely.

You could say Beowulf develops a hard shell that both Terence and Reid crack, almost by pure accident, and yet it's the good kind of crack.

Musical May - Day 11 - Bad Day

We all have that "bad day" at some point or another. I remember having a pretty rough day myself, and this song popped up on the radio during the ride home. Few times (that I can recall) has a song resonated with me so well. #Day11 of #MusicalMay.