It was an unusually hot October day; even for Dallas. Even MORE for this visiting Canuck who is acclimatized to near-zero temps in the Fall. So to quench my parched throat after a sweaty tour of Southfork Ranch, I made a bee-line for the nearest Starbucks inside the Galleria Mall to order my favorite cold beverage.

There was only one problem: my Barista-daughter hadn't accompanied me on this business trip down south. I had to remember and order the drink myself.

Oh crap.

Luckily I was at the end of the long lineup; time enough to roll through the ingredients in my mind.

Iced Tea? Nope.

Raspberry! Yes, it has Raspberry syrup in it. Light ice. Remember to order light ice.

Drat! The line is moving too fast!!! What was the rest of it?

Soon I found myself floundering at the till...

"I'll have, er, um.... It's a COLD drink, Venti, light ice... darnit, usually my daughter orders these for me..." I sputtered at the Barista. Luckily her wide smile let me know I wasn't pissing her off too much.

Gak.

"Do you want the iced tea or the passion tea lemonade?" she offered.

"Yes!!!! That's it! Lemonade! Passion tea lemonade!"

Woot! I had it. And they made it PERFECTLY; along with a very appetizing cold pasta / chicken / pesto salad, it was the makings of a delectable late dinner. I only had a chance to take a quick sip before running for the hotel shuttle stop at the other end of the Mall. Since we hadn't had time to sit to eat, my co-worker and I planned to enjoy our meals poolside at the hotel.

I had to share my delight with my travelling companion.

"Here. Try this; it's SO good!" And she agreed after taking a quick taste.

So we sat outside on the bench awaiting our ride back to the hotel, basking in the heat that lingered even into the night. Of course, being a tad (cough) OCD, I took the opportunity to rearrange my bags, ensuring I wouldn't accidentally leave anything behind..... when it happened.

I knocked my PERFECT-only-two-sips-taken drink onto the cobblestone ground.


Noooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!

With a sickening SLOSH it was gone. All gone! All I could do was watch as the cup tipped off the bench in slow motion, the lid popping off as it hit the ground and every drop of of my precious passion tea lemonade, raspberry syrup and even the light ice poured into a delicious puddle at my feet.

The worst thing of all? The Mall was now closed and my shuttle was on its way.

Yes, the Starbucks pasta salad was scrumptious and the tropical poolside scenery was beautiful.

But I still mourned my Venti Light Ice Raspberry Passion Tea Lemonade that had swifty evaporated before my eyes on the scalding Texas pavement.