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[NOBUNAGA🇯🇵🏯_夏樹蒼依 @japan_nobunaga]

In Georgia I entered a Chick-fil-A drive-thru line of forty cars.

I turned off my engine. I prepared to wait the way my ancestors waited out a siege.

Six minutes later I was holding chicken.

I do not know what happened to the other thirty-nine cars. The line moved like water that had somewhere to be.

A young woman walked between the cars taking orders on a small tablet, on foot, in the sun, smiling like the sun was her idea.

I said thank you.

She said, "My pleasure."

I did not think about it then. I should have.

At the window I thanked the young man for the food.

"My pleasure."

I thanked him for the sauce.

"My pleasure."

I thanked him for thanking me—

"My pleasure."

I want to be clear about what was happening.

This was a duel.

In Japan I trained in courtesy for forty years. Bowing angles. Seasonal greetings. The correct depth of apology for seventeen distinct situations.

I was a white belt in that drive-thru.

I escalated. I used my most formal English. I thanked him on behalf of my entire family line.

He said, "My pleasure," and gave me extra sauce.

Extra sauce. Unprovoked. A counterattack.

I returned the next day to reclaim my honor.

It was Sunday. The restaurant was closed.

All of them were closed. In the entire country. They close every Sunday, and they have closed every Sunday since the beginning, because the founder made a promise, and the promise did not expire when he did.

I stood in the empty parking lot and understood I had lost twice.

Once to a teenager with sauce.

Once to a man I will never meet, who kept his word so long it became a building.

In my country we say a samurai's word is his life.

I had never seen a restaurant say it back.

I returned Monday. I ordered. And this time I said it first, before she could.

"My pleasure."

She smiled and said, "It sure is."

America, I surrender.

It was my pleasure.

[The Athletic | Football @TheAthleticFC]

It is the moment Arsenal fans have waited for, dreamed about and lusted over for 22 painstaking years.

The kings are crowned at Palace. Martin Odegaard hoists the Premier League trophy aloft.

After finishing second for three consecutive seasons, Mikel Arteta's side are 'bottlers' no more.

Arsenal are the champions of England for the 14th time in their history.

[Bleacher Report @BleacherReport]

WHAT A MOMENT FOR VENEZUELA 🇻🇪🏆

(via @WBCBaseball)

[Bleacher Report @BleacherReport]

THEY DID IT! VENEZUELA SHOCKS JAPAN TO ADVANCE TO THE SEMIS! 🤯 🇻🇪

(via @WBCBaseball)

[່ @pxrcyishim]

championship clubs in tottenham stadium next season:

[W.E.B. DaBoi @Tyre_94]

Every single professional team in the city of Charlotte is a playoff team

[Underdog NBA @UnderdogNBA]

Most threes in a season by a rookie in NBA history:

Kon Knueppel - 207 (59 games)
Keegan Murray - 206 (80 games)
Donovan Mitchell - 187 (79 games)
Damian Lillard - 185 (82 games)

[HornetSector @HoopSector]

The third biggest football club in the world mentioning Kon Kneuppel, wow.

The Flaggots don't have influence like us

[shitposter emeritus (on sabbatical) @jazzghost_pm]

Beautiful day outside. Probably a top 10 summer afternoon. Yes, doesn't get much better than this. I'm gonna watch 3 movies in a row in my apartment with the lights off

[NRM84 @Mappy6984]

I wanna hang with him🤣🤣

[Brody Bowens(Parody) @BrodyBowens]

Holding the banana behind you so you can’t get red shelled…. veteran play

[welp. @YSLONIKA]

I’M CRYINGGSKSJF

[Arby's @Arbys]

Our cheddar runs but these colors sure don’t

[internet hall of fame @InternetH0F]

Raw footage from the recording of Chili's 'Baby Back Ribs' (1998)

[internet hall of fame @InternetH0F]

no nonsense, just straight hands, love to see it

[Football on TNT Sports @footballontnt]

A work of art 🖼️

[terminally onλine εngineer @tekbog]

two types of autism
https://t.co/9hbmSve5jd