The Little Things

This article in the New York Times is about a man who served in the army and wanted a Starbucks drink.  Gerardo Mena was doing grocery shopping when he received a text message from his wife saying she wanted Starbucks.  He explains that this was very rare as they put in heavy hours at their jobs to provide for their two children.  That basically means that Starbucks was extremely rare.  Gerardo, a veteran, was brought to tears when he went to buy his Starbucks coffee.

The young barista at the drive through window curiously asked him what war he had fought in.  According to the article, he was nervous that he would be sucked into a political debate about the right and wrong and why they were over there.  However, when Gerardo answered, “Iraq.  I fought in Iraq a few years ago,”  she thanked him.  As he tries to hand her his credit card, she says that it’s okay and closes the window.  He sat there for a brief moment, tearing up because she had bought him and his wife coffee, but mostly because she had acknowledged his service in the war years ago.