CONTESSA DOESN’T UNDERSTAND THE VENDING MACHINE

It should have been simple.

The machine accepted her money. She pressed the correct buttons. The coil turned. The snack—a bag of pretzels—tilted forward…

And got stuck.

Contessa stared at it.

From their booth, Maggie let out a long, weary sigh. “Oh no.”

Dennis, already grinning, leaned forward. “Oh yes.”

Unfazed, Contessa pressed the button again. Nothing happened. She inserted another bill, selected the same snack. The coil turned once more, nudging the bag just enough to make it lean at an agonizing, physics-defying angle—

And then stop.

Her brow furrowed.

She considered her options.

Then, without a word, she stepped back, spun, and kicked the machine.

A loud thud echoed through the diner.

Conversations halted. Heads turned. The cook peeked out from the kitchen.

Maggie buried her face in her hands. “For the love of—”

Dennis, cackling, nearly fell out of his seat. “Did you just roundhouse a vending machine?”

Contessa ignored him. She crouched slightly, assessing the machine’s center of gravity, the distribution of weight. Theoretically, a well-placed strike at the right angle, with the correct amount of force—

Maggie shot up so fast her chair scraped against the floor. “Do not tip it over.”

Contessa paused. 

Dennis gasped. “Oh my god, were you actually about to?”

She straightened, brushing nonexistent dust from her sleeve. “It was a consideration.”

Dennis wheezed. “This is the second best day of my life.”

Maggie sighed and walked over, nudging her aside. “Just let me do it the normal way.” She gave the machine a few light shakes, just enough to dislodge the snack. The bag tumbled down into the retrieval slot.

Contessa watched it fall.

Then, after a moment, she picked it up.

“…I see.”

Dennis smirked. “You see that you can’t solve everything with absurd competence or sheer force of will?”

Contessa considered this.

Then, very deliberately, she inserted another bill and pressed the button.

A second bag of pretzels dropped without issue.

She turned to Dennis, holding up both snacks. “I have solved the problem.”

Maggie groaned.

Dennis wheezed. “I take it back. You absolutely can.”