The Coffee Crisis of 2023

So here's the story. I work at this 24-hour coffee shop on the outskirts of town. It’s the kind of place where you get to know everyone’s quirks and routines after a few weeks, which is why my secret (well, not anymore) is such a big deal. I love coffee like it's my religion, but I also hate spending money on it unless absolutely necessary. So what did I do? Well, let's start from the beginning. One night last month, we had an emergency delivery of about 20 bags of fresh coffee beans that needed to be split evenly among all staff members for their work shifts over the next two weeks. Great, right? Except, my favorite blend was getting low in stock and I had a sneaking suspicion someone would pick up the last bag before I got it. So here’s where my cleverness, or let's call it desperation, kicks in. While everyone else was scrambling to grab their shares of the delivery, I noticed one unmarked box near the back room, presumably left for some other store or department that had a miscommunication about their shipment. Without hesitation, I grabbed it and hauled it up to my designated space where I could pretend it belonged there. Guess what? It was my favorite blend! Pure joy and a little guilt swirled inside me as I tucked the box away neatly with a couple other bags that were genuinely mine. For weeks after, every time I made myself a cup of this heavenly coffee, I felt both thrilled and slightly dirty about having taken something that wasn't rightfully 'mine.' But here's where it all falls apart, last night was my turn to close up shop for the evening, meaning I had to account for everything down to the last napkin. And you can probably guess what happened when I opened the unmarked box during our stock inventory check... Needless to say, I'm still waiting on whatever form of divine punishment is coming my way for that momentary lapse in integrity. But hey, at least I got one more month’s worth of top-notch coffee out of it. I guess all I can hope now is that this gets me a free refill next time around, or maybe a discount when the universe finally forgives me.