People are pretty serious about their coffee in America, but there’s a fine line between being grumpy before your first cup of joe and being downright aggressive.

One new mom was just trying to feed her baby when a man mistook her for an employee and turned her quiet moment into a dramatic confrontation.

Read on for the full story.

My Starbucks encounter

So the local Starbucks is on severely reduced hours due to a skeleton crew and COVID. It’s located in a good-sized strip mall.

I got off of a 14-hour overnight shift and needed a quiet place to pump (I’m nursing my baby). I pulled into the strip mall near Starbucks and pumped.

Most reasonable people would agree that this mom did her due diligence in being respectful.

For reference, I had myself covered pretty well, and I drive a large SUV, so it’s not easy to tell what I’m doing.

I also had my hoodie covering most of the actual pump part. I made a point to park a minimum of four empty car spots between me and anyone else.

But soon came the most unreasonable man perhaps ever to exist.

This old guy (50s–60s) gets out of his car and comes toward mine, yelling. I crack my window (it’s winter and freezing here).

Him: “It’s about time you got here! Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for my coffee?!”

Me: “I’m sorry, I don’t work here.”

This guy is clearly still confused.

Him: “What do you mean you don’t work here?! It’s 8:30 and I want my coffee! You should’ve been here hours ago! How long will I need to wait?”

He’s getting closer to my car. I cover myself even more. Normally, you can barely see any skin when I pump, but I completely covered up because I didn’t want some random old man seeing anything at all.

Me: “I don’t work at Starbucks. Please leave me alone.”

He’s not taking no for an answer.

Him: “Are you kidding me?! There is no excuse for this! There is no reason for you to be closed! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

Me: “…Please back away from my car.”

Before long, he starts making even more threats, but she’s quick to call out the holes in his logic.

Him: “I’m calling the cops! You’re exposing yourself to me! That’s illegal! I’m going to get you fired and arrested for harassment!”

Me: “Please do. Please call the police. According to Section XYZ of Law ABC, it is not illegal for me to feed or pump anywhere my child is allowed, with the exception of a religious institution. This is a public parking lot. While I worship coffee, it is not a recognized religion.

Turns out, this guy is violating a few rules too.

However, harassing or even assaulting someone while feeding or pumping is a crime. And seeing as how you’re not only acting threatening while I’m technically feeding, there’s a pandemic, and you’re also breaking the social distancing rules — which can get a hefty ticket here.”

All of what I said is true. My lactation consultant gave me a little card that cites the specific laws that protect nursing mothers and the places where pumping is allowed. I keep it on me just in case because I was a nervous first-time mom.

Him: “I’m calling the police!” [stumbles back to his car]

The situation fizzled out a bit after that.

I moved my car farther away. Twenty-five minutes passed. Starbucks was still closed.

I finished pumping in moderate peace (he kept watching my car), and unfortunately, no police showed up. I almost wish I could’ve switched it up on him but wasn’t going out of my way for that.

But needless to say, the experience stuck with her.

I never did get that coffee. I also must be fired from Starbucks for never opening and serving this upstanding patron his precious coffee.

The kicker? A Dunkin’ Donuts was literally across the street. Another Starbucks was about two miles down the road as well. But he waited well over thirty minutes for this one.

What a bizarre encounter.

Redditors are sure to get a kick out of this one.

This user was also hoping the police could put this crazy man in his place.

Rude strangers can make life a lot harder, but kind strangers can cancel some of that out.

This commenter also had a harrowing experience in a Starbucks parking lot.

This commenter can’t understand this crazy man’s train of thought.

In the end, she drove off caffeine-free but victorious, while he stayed behind stewing in his own misplaced anger.

Everyone has bad days, but not everyone takes them out on complete strangers.

If you liked this post, check out this story about an employee who got revenge on a co-worker who kept grading their work suspiciously low.