To the editor:

This Monday I came to the office only to find a chipper co-worker going on about her other part-time job working at Starbucks.

It seems that a customer had come through the drive-through window the day before. The customer said, “I want to pay for the order of the car behind me.”

My friend said the customer’s own order was only about $2, but the car behind her had an $18 order. The customer said that was fine. She wanted to pay for it anyway. So she did.

When the driver in the car behind came up to the window and found out the person in front had paid for his order, that customer said he wanted to pay for the order of the person behind him.

That started a chain reaction that went for 10 or 11 cars. Each one paid for the order of the person behind them in line.

It was a day-brightener for my co-worker, and for me as well.

I must admit I’ve never paid for someone’s order in a restaurant or at a drive-through window.

I’d never even thought about it. But I might do it sometime.

—Sue Hinton

English and Journalism

Professor