Austin Blues

En route to Chick-fil-a, we saw a beautiful building in the distance.

We were impressed by the architecture and forgot all about compounds and realized Waco had a longer, richer history than a footnote about a standoff in 1993. (Learn more about the history of Waco, Texas.)

For example, did you know that the Dr. Pepper soft drink was invented there and originally called a "Waco"? Or that this town was known as the top producer of cotton?

Or that Waco is associated with "The Crash at Crush" and the "Waco Horror" and "the tenth deadliest tornado in U.S. history"? (And that brings us back to the Waco we know.)

Still, the old buildings are beautiful and bring to mind the possibility of another kind of Waco...

...one that is majestic and grand with southern hospitality.

And then we arrived at Chick-fil-a (a very professional, pleasant place in general), where all hopes of that notion were dashed.

Where Ronak was first ignored, then received rude service at the counter, topped off with barbecue sauces handed to him as if he were an untouchable.

Meanwhile, I was in line in the restroom, in desperate pain, shocked at the attitudes of the self-centered people waiting with me. They purposefully ignored me, encouraged several small girls to cut into line in front of me, insisted that the girls (and a boy) "try" whether they had to go or not, and acted as if they owned the facility.

I was in the restroom so long that Ronak called me on my cell phone to make sure I was all right. Besides being close to tears from pain, I was fine, but ready to leave Waco. I ate my fries rapidly and proclaimed that I was ready to go.

Back in the car, we both vowed not to return to Waco and remarked how it was so odd that even a usually well-managed fast food chain could be ruined by such a place.

Still, we enjoyed viewing the beautiful buildings again, on the way out of town. Maybe Waco is just a place that should always be viewed from inside the car... with the windows rolled up... and the doors locked.