Our shake machine at work has been acknowledged to be ‘possessed’. There have been countless incidents since our store opened that have led us to believe the damn thing is out to get us. It occasionally squirts out vanilla ice cream for no reason, overflows shakes (the level that it fills to is supposed to be automated…not that it works out that way or anything), and even has been known to not stop when you press the button. Oh yes, there have been times where three employees will rush over to assist the poor victim with extra cups while they desperately try to staunch the flow of chocolate milkshake as it quickly begins to flow to the floor. But the worst of it, I have yet to mention….

Today was the worst in the store’s short history. I’m making sandwiches, minding my own business, not paying much attention because I have a headset on and am listening to the people in drivethru try to figure out what they want. Suddenly there’s this loud ‘pop’, like something exploded. Keep in mind I am several feet away. A watery, white spray of frothy milkshake splatters everywhere, coating quite a bit of my right side. I blink for a moment, not sure what just happened. Even my face and hair are wet. I hear a string of curses, and one of the people in front starts laughing. I look down at my clothes. Well then.

The table I am working at has a nice pretty pool of bubbly white on it. It was so bad, that somehow a puddle of it even ended up clear on the other side of the store, over by the grill. The woman who always does drivethru while I’m around (who is also one of my favorites) looks over to the customers who are laughing. “I’m afraid the entertainment costs extra.”

But what happened to me isn’t bad at all. The cursing came from the woman attempting to repair the ice cream machine. She was standing right over the open vat just as it exploded….. 

The fact that the spray happens to be white  has already caught my attention, but besides covering up a few giggles, I say nothing. It’s one of the other girls who can’t keep her mouth shut, and she looks at the poor woman drenched in cream as she says it.

 ”Looks like you just rubbed it the right way.”

I couldn’t stop laughing.