A Free Birthday Costa Hot Chocolate

I have heard rumours of Baristas in Costa giving free drinks to members of the public. I seem to be drawn to them on Tumblr, Twitter and Instagram and they are normally linked to stories where totally beautiful people post a picture of them being so surprised that they got a free skinny-non-fat-green-mocha-pumpkin-water-with-extra-cream or something just as ridiculous that beautiful people seem to always drink when there is me always ordering a:

"As large as you can do it, Hot Chocolate please."


Normally, in these stories, the totally beautiful person has also been given the Baristas number (written on the cup of course) and the totally beautiful people have no clue why they were given the free cup of whatever it was that they ordered, but they will totally call the Barista because they were totally hot, even though the original totally beautiful person doesn't consider themselves to be all that.

AND THEN IT HAPPENED TO ME.


Although, mine wasn't because I was beautiful, or maybe it was. I'll tell the story and let you decide.

Top Ender and I had agreed to meet one of our friends at the Cinema earlier than the meeting time for the Brownies, Rainbows and Guides who were all going to watch Wonder Park at the Cinema (as we had local elections and so a few of the halls we use, were out of use as they were being used a Polling Stations). The plan was we'd get a drink and mentally prepare for the two hours of toilet runs just as the film got interesting.

I went to the Counter with Top Ender, where the lovely young lady behind the till, gave me a HUGE grin and said HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I was so shocked! Did she follow me on Facebook or Twitter? Had it been a setup? Was I not really going to the Cinema and she was in on it and I was being whisked away somewhere? Was this a TV Show? So I asked;

"How did you know?!" and it was in total amazement, I mean seriously how did she know? And with that, she looked at the rather large badge on my chest that proclaimed I was the Birthday Girl and sort of smiled in that way that is half amusement and half pity.

It dawned on me. "Oh, my badge!" I'd totally forgotten about that, despite having pinned to myself not even thirty minutes before.

I placed the order for mine and Top Ender's drinks, and the lovely lady said that as it was my birthday she was going to give me the Hot Chocolate, my drink for free.

My totally free Birthday Costa Hot Chocolate

I'm so going to pretend it was because I am one of the beautiful people.