Do Not Watch In Silence

I hate drama. It seems that my life is full of drama lately. Recently, I really stepped in it. A few days ago, my family was in town for the day. When it was time for lunch, we decided on an affordable buffet style meal at Golden Corral that would make everyone happy. When we paid for our meal, we were informed that there was no ice. The machines were broken, but we didn't mind. After finding a table and sitting down, our waitress promptly brought out a heaping glass of ice. We questioned it, and she smiled and put her finger to her lips as if to say "Shhh." We filled our plates and began to eat. I noticed another woman, all alone, sit at a table in the middle of the room. Every time our waitress refilled our drinks, or anyone else's, she would refill them with ice. When this woman sitting alone requested ice, she was told that they were all out. Meanwhile, another waitress was scooping ice into glasses while this poor woman watched. A few moments passed and the waitress takes a heaping glass of ice to another table. Again, this woman requested ice and was told there was not any. Finally, the waitress relented and took half a glass of ice to the woman's table. Finally, after another conversation with the waitress, she receives a full glass of ice. I became angrier and angrier, unable to finish my meal. It made me sick to watch this take place. I live in the deep south and while it is my personal belief that some people cry discrimination when they don't get what they want, or they get in trouble, I believe it does still exist. Not only with race, but gender and social status as well. I refused to stand by and let this go. I advised management and then I stopped by the kind woman's table to let her know that I had reported it. If I had kept silent, I would be setting a bad example for my children. We left before we could finish our meal. I was overcome with grief. All because of ICE! When you see someone being mistreated for any reason, please do not watch in silence. I don't care if it is a child being yanked out of a store by her hair (let's get real, there's a difference between abuse and discipline) or a child being bullied in the mall. Report it. Sometimes the cries for help are completely silent.