A Cup of Revenge, Served Warm

I might have thought I had the upper hand with the ex-mayor my sister's husband, on our car ride to the casino. After all, I'd suckered him into buying my only losing lottery ticket, gloated over winning on 3 out of 4 scratchers while he took the only loser, shown him who was superior in winning money on scratchers. We both left the casino as losers, so we were back on even ground. Or so I thought.

Let the record show that when we picked up Sis and the Ex-Mayor in their driveway, they both climbed into A-Cad with a Sonic soda. No big deal. It's not like I ban people from enjoying a refreshing beverage while riding in my best car. I DO draw the line at smoking, but neither of them puffs, so that's a non-issue. The Pony had complained of not having a decent cup-holder in the back of A-Cad. Not that he's ridden there more than a handful of times. The cup-holders are built into the armrest on the door. I'm pretty sure a 44 oz Diet Coke would not fit there with much stability.

Anyhoo...Sis said she didn't mind holding her cup during the drive. She was drinking from it. They'd been out running errands, and had grabbed a quick lunch at Sonic. The Ex-Mayor put his soda in the armrest. Yet later, when I reached back to throw away my Puffs with Aloe full of scratcher scratchings, in my collapsible mini wastebasket...I couldn't fit it in there. Something was in the way. I KNEW I'd emptied that mini wastebasket before we left.

"Is there something in the way? This won't fit..."

"Oh, I put my soda cup in there. Just for the ride. I'm taking it into the casino to fill it with free soda."

"Will they let you do that?"

"I've seen other people with them in there."

So...I forgot all about that soda cup. When we were inside the casino, Sis said, "I thought you were bringing your cup."

"Well, I forgot it in the car."

I assume Sis had left her cup in the car, since I didn't notice it in her hand on the walk in. We enjoyed our gambling time, ate at the buffet, and headed home at 7:45. We didn't go all the way to their house, but dropped Sis and the Ex-Mayor off at a car repair shop to pick up their truck. It was the same place Sis took her car when she got a bone stuck in the tire, but not the same place I took T-Hoe when I got a giant bolt stuck in the tire when leaving their driveway.

Hick and I didn't get home until 10:00. We put A-Cad away safely in the garage. The next morning, when I parked T-Hoe beside A-Cad after getting my 44 oz Diet Coke, I got to thinking about that Sonic cup.

Here's the evidence. It was sitting in A-Cad's collapsible wastebasket. Now about 1/3 full of melty sticky water from what used to be ice. I took it inside, even though it wasn't MY job, because Hick (who didn't even carry in his own empty mini water bottle from the casino) would have left it there on his auction travels, most likely sloshing it all over the place during his sweaving. As you can see, the lid is not all the way on. I suppose the Ex-Mayor might have been enjoying that delicious Sonic pellet-ice before abandoning his dry beverage. IN A-CAD'S WASTEBASKET!

That's not even a 44 oz! It's a 32 oz. Surely people don't think you throw away cups with liquid like that in somebody's house or car. I would never do that in Sis's house. I'd pour out the ice before throwing it away. Just like in my own house. I even feel bad in the casino when I throw away my Styrofoam cup with some ice or soda remaining. It's frowned-upon to pour that out in the trough of the soda fountain, though. People think that's unhygienic.

Yes, we know how to offer a wastebasket in the back of A-Cad for trash. We just don't know how to let you USE IT FOR TRASH. Kind of like a rental car company TAKING a reservation, but not knowing how to KEEP a reservation.

I'm not so sure the Ex-Mayor didn't leave his cup there as revenge, for me selling him that losing scratch-off ticket on the ride to the casino...