I'm new here.
I don't usually do fast food for dinner, but a few times lately I've had too much to do in my evenings to make it home and make dinner, as I prefer. So, I've recently re-discovered Sonic, and the goodness that is a Sonic burger. So good, yet so cheap.

Last night I had to visit Sonic to grab dinner. I've also recently discovered that not only does Sonic bring the food to your car, they also have a drive-thru. This is a new discovery for me. I've been really perplexed by the drive-thru at Sonic, since they bring your food to you anyway. But last night I decided to try the drive-thru experience at Sonic. It promised to be an adventure.

I ordered my burger with a side of tots (my appetizer, of course), all of which came to the amount of $3.77. I got out a $5 bill and pulled up behind the car in front of me at the window. I waited. To approach the window, as I was told to do by the voice in the ordering box. Standard drive-thru procedure.

Soon, a girl employee came out of Sonic and walked over to my car with a bag of food. It was my food. But I was still sitting behind the car in front of me at the drive-thru window, so I became even more perplexed at the Sonic drive-thru system. Why bring the food to me in the drive-thru, when I will soon be at the window? The beauty of the drive-thru is that you drive through and they hand you the food. If I wanted them to bring the food to my car, I'd go park in one of the stalls where they bring the food to you.

Whatever this crazy Sonic system was, someone was at my car with food, and that's all I really wanted anyway.

I took the food and handed the girl the $5 bill. She then walked back inside the Sonic building. Why she came out without any change, I'm not quite sure. But I anticipated the car in front of me would soon move out of the way and it would be my turn at the window, even though I already had my food and had given some girl my money. What would I do then??

After quite awhile, the car in front of me was still there, and the girl had not returned with my change, yet. I waited, all the while smelling the delicious burger and tots that awaited me. Finally, the girl came back.

She handed me $2.23 in change. Um, too much change.

I looked at her and said, "Is this right?"

She looked at me with great puzzlement on her face.

I asked her, "Wasn't the total $3.77?"

She said yes.

I then said, "Well then you only owe me $1.23, not $2.23."

I don't know why I was feeling particularly honest at this moment, but I was.

The girl then replied, "Oh. Well, I'm new here." She took the extra dollar I was holding out for her, and walked away.

Now, my question is, even if she was not new, would the math have changed? If she was not new but still handed me too much change, would that have then been okay? Is her newness at Sonic directly related to the amount of correctly calculated change she should give to customers? If she had been at Sonic for a year, would the math have been a factor in the same transaction? What does Sonic or being new have to do with the principles of math, anyway?

I'm going to start saying "I'm new here" any time math becomes an issue.

It seems to be the excuse that withstands all other logic or reason.

Especially when math loses.

C.T.

PS: All math calculations in the above posting were calculated using a calculator, in case my own math skills were very, very wrong. And because I'm not actually new here.