They say money can't buy happiness, and I would say that is mostly true. But 50 bucks can prove that humanity and unbridled kindness still exists. I was working a shift. I'm a waitress you know. Every god damn shift I have someone who is complaining about something or pestering me about an item I have yet to bring. Sometimes they are just plain standoffish, giving me dirty looks and questionable stares. Yes, I am there to serve you, but remember I am a human being and not your slave. I forget things and make mistakes, let me fix it without you giving me the nth degree death stare.
Needless to say I really dislike my job, yet I also love it. The people you meet whether it is your co-workers, managers or the customers can secretly be a blessing in disguise.
Now, back to my story. I was working a day shift and I had a table of two. They were older, maybe in their early 50s. Both of them joked with me and were appeasable customers, and when a table like this comes along you don't mind hustling your ass to get them extra ketchup or even another plate. While I was chatting with them I found out that one of the two men had just recently got out of a coma. He was in a serious motorcycle accident where he broke his jaw, all his ribs and had internal bleeding. By the description of his injuries it sounded like he should've been dead instead of sitting there talking to me. I was amazed at his story and his willingness to be open about it. It was an important meal for him because for awhile he was only eating his meals through a tube. He of course got a rack of ribs and ate every last bit of it.
At the end of the meal I dropped the check. He handed me a folded up 50 dollar bill and said, "this is for you, not anyone else in the restaurant." I was shocked at his generosity seeing that their meal was about 40 dollars in total. He said he understood great service. I thanked him profusely and just walked away, eyes watering and all. I know what you're thinking, 50 bucks is chunk change. For me 50 bucks is a lot. And not a lot of money to buy things n such, but 50 bucks worth of kindness. So, what if he had left me just a regular old 15 percent tip? I would've still have been happy to have met him and had him at my table because he reminded me that life is precious, appreciate people because you never know what may happen next. Sometimes we get lucky when we don't deserve it, therefore pay it forward. And, for your information, I did.
