BCL

All I asked for was water, rather than attend to my needs, she chose to be a smart mouth. I was beginning to get infuriated by the madam's secretary and my demeanour voiced my sentiments. 'Is it so hard to fetch a glass of water to pacify my thirsty soul?', I asked.

The secretary stood before me looking really attentive as I barked out an order for a glass of water. 'Not a problem sir, what kind would you prefer? Sparkling or Still water sir?', she inquired. Ignorance immediately activated shame within me and I retorted, demanding for Sparkling water.

'Room temperature or Refrigerated?', she asked softly. At this point, my heart had begun to race. 'Which one is room temperature again?', I asked myself. The room was air-conditioned, so there was no clear difference between both. I opted for refrigerated being a man given to cold drinks.

The secretary turned away as if to leave, then she remembered something. 'One more thing sir', she said politely, "Would you favour bonbons or croissants after your drink?", she asked. Croi what? I had no idea what she was talking about and I could swear I heard bumbums. I brilliantly decided to go with the road less travelled by, since nobody would want to eat "bumbums"- I chose croissants.

I expected her to leave, yet she asked another question. 'Which would you prefer sir: Croissant au chocolat, L'orange, D'ananas or croissant brillé with a fondue'. I went blank at this point, none of these sounded familiar to me and I didn't want to embarrass myself any further.

Not seeming anywhere near the door, the secretary stood in front of me with her pen and notepad expecting an answer. I unconsciously said 'the one with the "fondu".' She scribbled something and asked, 'What kind of bonbon do you want thereafter'.

I thought we had already eradicated the "bumbums", I couldn't get why she brought it again. In the absence of what to say, I said bring anyone you have. By the time she fetched my glass of water, I wasn't even thirsty anymore. I drank the water and there was nothing special about it, it still felt like the normal water I was used to.

One thing I know, She surely put me in an awkward situation with her questions and the sea of choices she offered. The lesson I learnt here is to be outspoken when necessary. Imagine I told her from the onset that I just needed cold water and dismissed her immediately, Would it have come to this?

I also learnt that one has to be educated even after being schooled. Certain things can't be taught within the four walls of a classroom-this includes etiquette and social language. After being humiliated by the unsuspecting secretary, I vowed to learn about social exchanges and all that come with being well rounded.