Seminole turned the envelope over in his hands. As a waiter, he was used to getting notes on scraps of paper or comments scribbled on receipts. But letters? This was a first.
However, considering how his week had gone, he was almost afraid to open it. After all, the last surprise he got had left him fuming.
Waiting tables was already a thankless job with plenty of horror stories to fill several books, but this last week had been extra horrible.
This time, the bags under his eyes and the bad mood were from different circumstances, but his shell was still rather thin. So, when a group of teens came in, he sighed.
Past experiences had told him this wouldn’t be a pleasant table – they were usually loud and thoughtless.
But soon he found this group of young girls to be brimming with happy energy. It also turned out it was their first time going out to lunch without a chaperone. Their excitement started to rub off on Seminole.
“Why are there so many utensils?” one whispered. “Just work from the inside out,” he answered with a smile.
One of them also had allergies, so he carefully explained the menu and even went as far as to go back to the kitchen to make sure the cooks understood. He thought things were going well.
The girls spend a few hours chatting, giggling, and enjoying a nice meal. Then, they gathered their things and left.
Seminole went to clear the table. He picked up the coin tray and stared at it, utterly speechless. The total bill had been over a hundred dollars. But the tip they left?
$3.28 worth of coins slid across the tray. His heart sank. After everything he had done.
Didn’t people realize that waiters relied on the generosity of customers to help make ends meet? Until the system changed, this was every waiter’s reality. The brightness of his day seeped back into a little black cloud and lasted for several days after. Even his coworkers noticed.
One pulled him aside and asked what was wrong. They all dealt with this situation on a regular basis. What had happened to Seminole?
He slumped against the breakroom wall. There was something else that had happened not that long ago. Something horrible that brought tears to his eyes.
He and his girlfriend had finally decided to adopt a dog. It was a cute little Pitbull puppy that was sunshine and rainbows.
It was love at first sight. However, no one (not even the shelter) told him it was illegal to own one in his city. A couple of days later, the cops showed up. A neighbor had called them.
He had the choice of paying a large fine and giving up the dog … or going to jail.
Seminole, had no choice. He watched as his dog was dragged away, confused and whining for his master to save him. This is what he had been dealing with all week. “Well,” he co-worker said, “This letter arrived for you.”
Seminole pulled out the pages. It wasn’t something he would expect – the bubbly print was written in bright blue ink.
He scanned the long message and then quickly realized who it was from – the group of girls that had left the small tip. What they had to say was truly inspiring.
First, she explained that it was their first real grown-up experience – going out and having a meal like adults.
They had such a wonderful time and a lot of it was because of his help and lovely attitude. Seminole felt something else in the envelope.
It seems that in the excitement of their experience, their thirteen-year-old minds had got carried away with their order.
They had overspent on food and drinks and had no idea about the tip. It wasn’t until later had they realized they had made a horrible mistake and felt awful. Seminole tipped the envelope and cash fell out.
It was $18. The small amount of change the first time around had been what was left in their pockets when they realized what had happened.
They went on to research how much was a good time for a great waiter and pooled their money so they could make things right.
He felt his mood lift.
“I’ve been serving a long time, and nothing like this has ever happened to me, or anyone. I don’t know how you learned or educated yourself on tipping, but I really appreciate the effort and kindness,” Seminole shared on his Social Media. As for his dog?
Sadly there was nothing he could do. They missed him every day.
However, the kindness of these girls and the very warm way they corrected their mistake seemed to tip the balance of his universe in a small way. He had a happy memory to hold against his sad one.
