Every Thursday at work, I hop over to the kitchen to see if there are any leftovers from the Fellowship Meal the night before. Some days there are and some days not, but we always check. She’s a good cook… and we’d hate to let that wonderful food go to waste. (Besides, I can assure you it’s better than whatever on-sale, frozen, diet meal I brought with me.)
Yesterday was no different. We took a break about lunch time and headed over. In the fridge I found a plate that was already made up with last night’s adult meal and a container filled with 2 hot dogs. “You go ahead and eat this,” I said, pushing the plate toward her, “I’ll just eat these left over hotdogs that the kids had last night.”
I warmed up both hotdogs, adorned them with just ketchup as I normally do, and after she heated her plate up, we headed back up to the office to continue on with our work.
About 30 minutes later, the hot dogs settled nicely in my tummy, I hear our custodian walk in to the work room and begin talking to the office volunteer.
“Did you happen to see my hotdogs in the fridge in the kitchen?” he asked her.
About that time, I began to melt. I felt the heat come over me, the blood come into my face as I realized what I had just done.
Knowing that I couldn’t play it off.. because (1) it’s not the RIGHT thing to do and (2) there are only 4 people who work at the church and who could’ve possibly done something with his hotdogs, I poked my head around the corner and said, while raising my hand, “I do.”
I attempted to play it off with humor as I do in every other situation I’m uncomfortable in, but as I said, “I ate them,” I felt like the world’s worst person. I apologized all over myself. I offered him my lunch, a frozen dinner, I had brought, but he didn’t want it.
“Just so you know,” he began, “I always put my lunch in some kind of container in the fridge.”
I knew that. But leftovers were in containers, too, and it never dawned on me that it might be his. Never. In all the Thursdays that we’ve headed over to check out the leftovers.
I felt horrible the entire afternoon. He refused to allow me to get him some food, and of course, those in the office, as I would expect of them, kidded me all afternoon. I made fun as well, but I still felt bad.
And so… lesson learned. (1) I should probably just stick to the meals that I bring that are healthy for me and Weight Watchers approved and (2) if I’m going to deviate, check to see what was on the kids menu before assuming that’s what they ate…
Wednesday night? They had fish sticks… not hotdogs.
Until next time…
