Pauper or princess?

In a café, quite content reading my book while others gassed away, the only thing missing was tea in my cup. Removing my eyes from the page for a moment, I noticed the waiter refilling teacups efficiently while mine was left dry. Other customers were treated like royalty whereas I was seen as a servant hidden away in the corner.

I went to the counter to pay the bill; all of a sudden the oblivious waiter appeared by my side. I couldn’t resist turning to him and asking if I was invisible, he said I wasn’t, the waiter apologised and said he was very busy. Managing to hold back the tears, I continued.

“Everyone is and should be treated the same; however, you served everyone in the room except me.”

The waiter agreed and apologised again profusely. I asked if he wanted me to return there, to which he replied that he did. I told him that I would not be a return customer. A waitress, who had assisted with translation, seemed sad to hear this and offered me a drink and dessert on the house. It was strange because after I’d sat in the corner being treated like a pauper, I was suddenly on display in the middle of the room like a princess!

Years ago, I probably would have walked away in silence and cried my eyes out without anyone ever knowing why. Nowadays, I believe in standing up for my rights and speaking out. Everyone in the world deserves the same treatment, whether it be a pauper or a princess.

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