I do not like saying I will do something and not doing it. This is part of who I am. I'm not sure it's a virtue. Being that I can be very spiteful and contrary, I can get set on doing things that aren't at all helpful.
But I told someone I was gonna write something a long time ago, and now I will.
I used to play Magic: the Gathering professionally. I used to travel to conventions and tournaments. Please do not think this meant that I made more money than I spent traveling, I did not. Technically I was a professional poker player after first moving to Vegas. Please don't think that meant I made more than about $8 an hour.
Anyway, there is this convention called Origins. The first time I went it was in Philadelphia. I could write more stories about that...but this story happened the years Origins was in Columbus, Ohio.
I think, but I am not sure, that the first time I experienced the Convention Center at Origins, my girlfriend at the time came with me. So her and I and a bunch of my friends get some food at a cafe court there in the convention center. There is this little Asian food place...think Panda Wok, only a little more Mom and Pop, but enough that it's at all out of place in a food court. Go up to the line, order, move to register, pay.
So we were all cool and Dutch and she didn't need for me to open her doors or anything like that, so I got my food first, and went to sit down. Keep in mind this is a gaming convention. There is lots of gaming going on. There are lots of distractions for MY brain. So I'm at a table talking to my friends and she comes over and sits down. I'm not distracted enough to not realize when a girlfriend of mine is unhappy. She was unhappy.
"What's wrong?"
"I gave them a $20 bill and they gave me change for a $10 bill."
"Okay...wait, you didn't fix it?"
"I tried but she says I gave her a ten. I KNOW I gave her a twenty."
(I let this sink in)
"So that's it?"
"What do you want me to do?"
"I'm not the kind of guy that tells people what to do. Let me just say that if this had happened to my father, he would already have his money by now, because those Asian women are business women, and they understand an irate Irishman screaming at them in front of their business is not worth $10."
I had made my point, but if she didn't want to get the money back, it wasn't a big deal. I didn't really think much of it, we all ate our food, and went back to gaming. As far as I know, she got over it.
And she got over me. So the following year when I'm in Columbus for Origins, she is not. My friends and I went back to the food court and I went back to the Asian place (I do love American style Asian food).
I order. I move to the register. I pay. With a $10 bill.
THEY GAVE ME CHANGE FOR $20.