"Too bad my brother wasn't your first call..."

Obligatory Click mention? Never listened/watched them. Anyways.

Back in my barista days (cafe manager in an entertainment store), I had an awful lot of regulars who would hang around for most of their free time. They knew me, I knew them, their regular orders, trials and tribulations, etc.

So when my baby brother died at 15yo (2008) after being hit by a car while biking home, it was major news. I was out of work for a month, keeping my mom together and trying to function. I got huge tips and many sympathy cards when I finally returned.

At some point during my first week back, one of said regulars comes in. He'd been training to be an EMT and finally got to go out into the field. He and another EMT trainee come in for their coffee the day after their first night out.

Regular says to friend: Man, I just wish it wasn't so quiet! I wanted to get someone who was *fucked* up!

Now, I'm still barely holding it together. I raised my brother and he was my first loss. Hadn't even dealt with the death of a grandparent or friend, so it was pretty fucking raw.

**"My brother was pretty fucked up when the ambulance got there. Too bad you couldn't have been there for that."**

Set their coffees down a little too hard and head to the kitchen to cry again.

So many people told me how horrible he felt, but he never personally apologized. He did tip better after that, though