All We Wanted Was A Cup of Hot Cocoa...

I live in a relatively small, progressively growing town with lots of charming people. There's a small private college here and several public and private high schools within driving distance. However, it seems, nothing is open in this town past ten o'clock...a new discovery of mine.
     My friend and I were driving home from Mannheim Steamroller's concert last night and decided that we were in dire need of a nice cup of hot chocolate...but where to go? By the time we got back into town, it was ten fifteen. We tried Panera: closed. My favorite coffee shop: closed. An ice cream shop: closed. Starbucks: closed. Four places! Basically the only places in this town--CLOSED! Ridiculous! We just wanted a cup of hot chocolate. So I suggested IHop, open 24/7, of that, I was sure. We pull a full circle and drive to IHop, sit down, and look at the beautiful pictures of delicious looking hot chocolate. Our waitress approaches the table, asking for our order, and I think you can finish for us...HOT CHOCOLATE!
      Plot Twist: IHop had JUST run out of hot chocolate. I'm sorry, let me repeat that in plain terms. The only place in this town opened past ten o'clock with the hope of having hot chocolate was OUT OF hot chocolate. Both of us just looked up at the waitress, dumbfounded, ordered water, then broke out into a fit of giggles at the pure irony of the situation. I thought about ordering apple cider, but when your tongue is ready for hot chocolate, apple cider just won't do it.
      As bitter as we are about not every getting that greatly-desired cup of hot cocoa, I kind of loved being at IHop. A friend that I haven't seen since college started sat with me for over an hour just catching up, eating breakfast food at eleven o'clock. We giggled, laughed, got somber, and then laughed again. It was a good night. I love nights like these, especially now that I'm in school. You don't really understand reconnecting until you get to college and you come home to see your high school friend. It's a great, kind of sad, nostalgic feeling. And it's great right now because it's so easy to just pick up where we left off. I don't know if it will be that way come college graduation, but as of right now, it's wonderful. And I'm going to treasure it.
So Merry Christmas! Go make yourself a cup of hot cocoa...or go to IHop with the hope that they aren't out.