bind yourself

During the Fourth of July holiday, my usual go-to chicken and rice spot, Clucky's, was running a promotion: extra food, same price. Sounded great, right?

I ordered my usual small, single serving. When it arrived, the portion was half its normal size. I asked Carol, the owner, what was up. She said, with a tone like it was obvious, "Honey, we're practically family. What's the big deal? It's a busy holiday, cut me some slack."

I was floored. So everyone else's "extra" chicken came from my bowl? Carol's cheap move made me ditch Clucky's for good. I became a regular at the Golden Rooster across the street.

But Carol wouldn't let it go. One day, she literally dragged me into Clucky's and started yelling, "You ungrateful little brat! You can't just eat somewhere else!"

My first clue that something was off was when I dug into my chicken and rice. I usually get a good amount of chicken, but this time there were only a few measly pieces, mostly bone. I looked around – everyone else had mountains of chicken. I was already bummed about not getting train tickets home for the holiday, and this just made things worse.

"Carol!" I called out.

She bustled out from the kitchen, but slowed down when she saw me. "What's up, Sarah?"

I pointed at my bowl. "A small is supposed to have, like, eight pieces of chicken. And it's supposed to be extra today. Why do I only have four, and they're all bone?"

Her face fell. "Honey, we're practically family. What's the big deal? It's a busy holiday, you know I'm losing money on this deal. Cut me some slack."

Losing money? Was this some kind of small-business price gouging? I work hard for my money. "Family or not, I paid for a full portion. Why am I getting less for the same price?"

"Chicken prices are up, we're taking a hit…" she repeated, hoping for sympathy.

"But everyone else got extra! Am I supposed to subsidize your promotion? Where's my share of the profits?"

Carol's fake smile vanished. Seeing I wasn't backing down, she mumbled, "Fine, I'll add a couple more pieces." She said it like she was doing me a huge favor, like it wasn't what she should have done in the first place.

Then she muttered under her breath, "Cheapskate, complaining over a couple of pieces. If you can't afford it, don't eat out!"

That did it. "I heard that! Do you think you can get away with ripping me off because I'm young? This is the first time I've seen a restaurant so stingy they won't even give a customer a couple of pieces of chicken!"

The entire restaurant went silent. Everyone was watching us. A guy at the next table, a regular like me, hadn't gotten a skimpy portion. He looked at my bowl, then his, and frowned. "Carol, that's not right. You don't have to give regulars special treatment, but you should treat everyone the same."

Carol, flushed under everyone's gaze, changed her tune. "I'm sorry, honey. I didn't mean it. I'm just a simple country woman, forgive me." She was still trying to guilt-trip me.

"So how are you going to m...