Tall decaf with two lids, please

Sadly, this is how I must order my coffee at a local shop. Let me explain.

I always order a tall decaf and my husband orders a tall regular. The "barista" pours me a cup, reaches for the permanent marker, and scrawls a D on the lid. You see where this is going? Now, there was a time when funky smelling ink right under my nose was up my alley. But these days, I prefer not to huff ink with every sip.

I've tried ordering this way: "Tall decaf and please don't write on the lid."

"Barista" says, "What?"

Annoyed, I repeat: "Don't write the letter D on the lid. I can smell it when I drink."

And the one time I neglected to add the lid clause to my order, the "barista" reached for marker. I correct him mid-scrawl and he rolls his eyes. A "barista" with whom I've had the lid conversation with then says to his colleague, "She doesn't like the marker on the lid." Surly "barista" now asks if it's okay to put a sticker on the lid.

I say, "Why don't you just mark the box on the side of the cup?"

Yet another "barista," who wasn't even involved in the transaction, answers, "There would still be marker on the cup."

First of all, customer service rule number one: Don't argue with the customer. Rule number two: Don't talk about the customer in the third person. And finally, why doesn't it occur to anyone that the smelly ink on the lid will be right under the customer's nose when they sip?

My brother-in-law suggested that it's just easier and shorter to order a tall decaf with two lids: the one they're going to write on anyway and the clean lid.