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In bold: key vocabulary. Tap any word in the text to see its definition.
It's Tuesday morning, and the Sunrise Cafe is full. Amy is on her first day as a waitress. She's carrying a big tray with two coffees, a croissant, and a sandwich, and she's trying to smile.
Two tables need her at the same time. "Could I have a black coffee and a croissant, please?" asks a man at table four. "And I'd like a tea with lemon and a cheese sandwich," says a woman at table five. "Of course!" says Amy. She writes both orders in her little notebook, one under the other.
A few minutes later, Amy walks quickly between the tables. She puts the coffee and the croissant in front of the woman. She gives the tea and the sandwich to the man. She doesn't notice the mistake. "Excuse me," says the woman, looking at her cup. "I asked for a tea. Could you check my order?"
Amy looks at her notebook, then at the two tables. Her face turns red. "I'm so sorry!" she says. "I gave you the wrong order. Could you give me one minute? I'll fix it right away." The man laughs and says, "Don't worry, I like tea!" But the woman isn't smiling.
Amy hurries to the counter. The manager, Mr. Lopez, is watching her. She takes a deep breath, makes a fresh tea with lemon, and puts a small cookie on the plate. "This one is on the house," she tells the woman. "And I'm really sorry for the wait." The woman finally smiles. "Thank you. That's very kind."
Later, Amy is cleaning a table when Mr. Lopez comes over. "Everybody mixes up an order on their first day," he says. "The good ones learn to fix it with a smile." He gives her the last cookie. "Now, table six is waiting."
