Ian goes to Subway

 

With Jeff being out of town this past week for work, it was up to Sam and me to pick Ian up from gymnastics at 8:00pm.  Ian asked if we could stop at Subway (which is on the way home) and get a meatball marinara sub.  This is his new favorite item from Subway.  Ian had a small snack before class, but eats something more substantial afterwards when he gets home.

It was seriously cold out (and dark) by the time we loaded up the car and headed home.  I wanted Ian to be able to have his sub, but I didn't want to have to get Sam out of the warm car.  And I didn't feel comfortable leaving both kids in the car (with it running to keep it warm) while I ran inside to get Ian's sandwich.  My only other option was to give Ian money and send him in on his own.  These are those kind of life skills he needs to get comfortable with.

I double-parked the car right out front so I could keep an eye on Ian through the glass windows while waiting in the car with Sam.  What happened next is soon to become a classic story told time and time again in our house.

I see Ian make his way down the counter and get to the register.  I can see Ian hand the man behind the counter the $10 bill I gave him.  I see the man give Ian his change.  However, Ian keeps dropping the coins, having to bend down and pick them up.  Again and Again and Again.  They must've fallen a total of 5 times.  And each time the coins fell they scattered all over the floor.  It was hard not to laugh.  I mean the first two times I felt bad the coins fell, but after 5th time, it was getting hysterical.  Finally Ian starts putting the coins (one at a time) in his pocket until he has all the change safely secure.

Ian gets to the car and climbs inside.  I ask him how it went.  He said they were all out of meatballs.  Oh no!  So then Ian proceeds to tell me the exact conversation he has with the guy behind the counter at Subway.  Ian even does a dead-on PERFECT impression of this guy's Indian accent.

Ian:  I'd like a 6 inch meatball marinara with American cheese on Italian bread, please.

Guy Behind The Counter With Indian Accent (now referred to as: GBTCWIA):  No meatballs!  No Meatballs!  No meatballs!

Ian:  Ok, then I'll have a 6 inch Turkey, cheese, lettuce, and tomato on Italian bread, not toasted.

GBTCWIA:  You want it toasted, yeah?  You want it toasted?  Toasted?

Ian:  No!  Not toasted.

GBTCWIA:  Oh yeah, you want it toasted.

Ian:  Non toasted please!

GBTCWIA proceeds to put Ian's sub in the toaster.

Ian:  No toasting!

GBTCWIA:  We don't have shredded American cheese.

Ian:  I just want the slabs of cheese!

The rest of the sub gets made. 

GBTCWIA asks Ian if he'd like to make it a combo with a diet coke.

Ian:  No, I don't want a diet coke.  How old do you think I am?!?!?

GBTCWIA:  So you just want 21oz water?

Ian:  No, I don't want any drink.  Just this bag of chips and this sub.

GBTCWIA rings the food up and starts to give Ian his change.

GBTCWIA gets really annoyed with Ian as he keeps dropping the change everywhere.

GBTCWIA:  JUST PUT CHANGE IN YOUR POCKET!  PUT IN POCKET!

As Ian is telling me this story, the tears are running down my cheeks.  I am laughing that hard.  I was proud of Ian for not making a beeline out of there once he saw the challenges he was facing ordering and the fact they didn't have any meatballs.  Ian took the news in stride and went with his next best option. 

The next day (Thursday) Ian is chosen to have lunch with the principal of his school.  This is actually a good thing and seen as an honor.  Upon pick-up from school, Ian tells me he told his teacher and the principal the Subway story.  I ask Ian what they thought of his story and knowing Ian, he retold it complete with Indian accent.  Ian says they both asked if he did this whole thing on his own.  I am cringing as I ask Ian what he said to that.  He replied with, "I told them you didn't want to come in."  OMG, I am now mortified.  I can only imagine what they think. 

Friday morning we do kiss-n-ride at the kids' school.  It is raining and yucky weather (in fact we had a two hour delay -- yet again this week!).  As the car pulls up, an older woman whom I've never seen before comes to the kids' door and helps them out.  She is holding an umbrella and is ready to shelter them from the rain.  She sees it is Ian and looks at me and says, "Ian told me the Subway story.  It was really funny."   I quickly replied, I hope you don't think he was completely unsupervised.  I was in the car with his little sister, double parked right out front.  I had my eye on him the entire time.  She said, "It's ok.  We were impressed that he did this.  And the amount of detail he had telling his story."   My reply:  "Yes, I've been laughing quite a bit hearing Ian tell the story."

I was trying to get Ian to learn a few life skills (ordering food, handling money).  In turn, Ian got more than he bargained for and learned how to communicate with someone whose first language is not English.