“Not something he said, but something he did.
I had just left the hospital and some friends picked me up to get a bite to eat. I had a third-degree ACL tear in my knee so I was limping around wearing this hip-to-ankle leg brace – you couldn’t miss it. We grab a table and I’m on the outside (not beside the wall, but next to the walkway) with my bad leg tucked safely under the table and my good leg ‘protecting’ me on the outer edge. Our waiter is this curt, unfriendly dude who was basically glaring the whole time. Eventually, when he brings our food (slamming plates down roughly) he manages to kick my bad knee under the table while reaching to put food down on the far side. This on its own I wouldn’t hold against him. But it absolutely hurt, and I yelled ‘Ow!’ pretty much in his ear (as he was leaning in front of me). The dude doesn’t even react. My friend picks up on it: ‘Uh, you just kicked her.’ The waiter just walks away.
So my friends decide that he will get a $1 tip on each person’s bill. (I am not an advocate of tipping badly but having had a fairly lousy day ends with being kicked on my already injured leg, I was okay with it given the circumstances). My one awesome friend writes a note on her receipt explaining WHY he was getting a bad tip. Then we get up and (slowly) make our way outside. At this point the waiter tracks (chases?) us down to defend his honor, or something.
‘I didn’t kick a girl with an ACL injury!’ He seems outraged.
‘Uh yes, you did. That would be me,’ I reply exhausted and kind of shocked that it was even a question. My friends step in to relate the story of how I even yelled and he was totally oblivious. He’s like: ‘Well then I’m sorry.’ He sure as heck didn’t sound sorry. What did he want us to do, go back in, and give a better tip? He turns angrily back into the restaurant.
The clincher: as he went in, another couple was leaving and they overheard everything. Looking at my leg the woman says: ‘He kicked you?! I passed by him inside earlier and he elbowed me and didn’t say a word!’ What a prick.”
