ANGER MANAGEMENT

The day had started really well. We had taken our new bikes to the waterfront and riden along its 10ks back and forth in the sun, stopping once for a coffee on the America’s Cup viaduct. A perfect Sunday morning in the glorious Auckland summer.

By the beginning of the afternoon, it had started to turn to custard when LP didn’t want to have a nap and went from overtired to really grumpy. Even a trip to the playground or the beach couldn’t cheer him up. Meanwhile his dad had gone surfing.

At 6, decidedly failing to amuse LP I decided to try the new and pretty glamorous looking Fish & Chips place close to the St Heliers Beach. It was packed with locals, who similarly to me were too lazy to cook on such a nice Sunday evening. I thought that a quick and easy picnic with the 3 of us on the beach looking at the sunset would easily beat a routine dinner at home and would somehow prolonged the weekend just a little bit more.

At 6.30, after a half hour wait in a crowded shop, LP was getting restless and incredibly hungry. Customers were starting to complain to the most disorganised fish shop team ever. Over the next 15 minutes it all turned to chaos. The shop manager stopped taking orders, customers started getting stroppy and asking for refunds and my patience was running very thin. At 6.45, when inquiring after my very simple order of 3 fish of the day with chips I was offered a refund.

At that precise moment I lost it. I started shouting at the 16 year old assistant that NO I DIDN’T WANT A REFUND, I WANTED A MEAL TO FEED MY VERY HUNGRY TODDLER, WAS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR AFTER A 45 MINUTE WAIT THAT I COULD HAVE SPENT GAZING AT THE HORIZON RATHER THAN STUCK IN THIS CROWDED LITTLE PLACE?

At 7, we went back home empty handed. I was so mad I barely talked to anyone for the rest of the evening. How’s that for prolonging the weekend?