Written in Red
As he opened the leather folder, he was astounded by the figure scribbled inside. It had to be an error or some practical joke. His eyes then moved to the napkin covered in the same red writing.
He read that one sentence, again and again, absolutely dumbfounded: "My mother did not need you to help her." Then, all of a sudden, it made sense.
Fed Up
Kasey Simmons, a citizen of Texas, was having one of those days. However, this particular day had all the signs indicating that this would be one of the worst of his career. On most days, it was challenging enough to work the night shift at the neighborhood Applebee's, but it was impossible when there was a staff shortage.
Stemming the tide of customers seemed like a losing battle despite his best efforts to pick up the slack. Kasey neared the end of his tether when another woman walked in.
Trouble On The Rise
The woman patiently waited for Kasey to take their beverage orders as she sat down with her family. He decided to be completely truthful about the circumstances he was dealing with when he finally got around to serving her table.
He smiled as he said, "Hey, my name is Kasey." He added, "I'm just informing you that I am terribly behind schedule and in the weeds right now." Her face dropped as he told her that he would only get the chance to take their food order in 45 minutes.
Desperately Running Around
In a desperate attempt to appease the woman, Kasey offered to buy the table's beverages. He was genuinely having a bad day. He became increasingly stressed as more customers entered the restaurant and the orders piled up.
Everything worsened when the complaints started pouring in at that moment. The diners were not satisfied with the rate at which Kasey was serving them.
Temptation
Numerous tables required Kasey's attention, but he was just one server. He peeked over to another woman demanding her drinks, but he knew he couldn't serve all these tables by himself. He began to contemplate the alternative. The tiny voice in his mind egged him on. What if he just quit right now?
Kasey was no coward, as tempting as it seemed. Besides, he also needas the money to make ends meet.
A Plot Twist
Kasey had his limits, despite being used to working exceptionally hard. He requested management to send a second waitperson to his section to assist. However, Applebee's was understaffed that night. Therefore he wasn't stunned when his request was denied.
He soldiered on as he battled through his fatigue. He could noat expect the new plot twist heading his way.
The Best And The Worst
Kasey adapted to experiencing both good and bad nights on the job, but the outcome majorly depended on the tips he was given. Some customers were exceptionally generous and left big tips, which he was very grateful for. Other customers, however, weren't as generous. Some customers would leave small tips, or worse, none at all, despite his best efforts at providing them with good service. This was the reality of the service industry, Kelsey realized.
He was startled as he rushed back to the woman's table to take their orders finally.
A Miniscule Order
The woman ordered a bottle of flavored water before she left, despite stating to Kasey that the table wouldn't be ordering any food. Kasey felt terrible since her family had patiently waited for an hour only to place their food orders, and now they were leaving.
He rushed to get the woman's flavored water before ringing up the bill, unaware she wasn't finished with him yet.
Sharing The Bill
After subtracting the drinks, Kasey insisted were on him for the table, the bottle of flavored water cost merely 74 cents. The woman replied she didn't have the money after looking through her handbag for it.
As if Kasey's hands weren't already full enough, she requested that he divide the payment of 37 cents between two credit cards. Kasey couldn't believe it, but he patiently complied before hurriedly leaving to serve another table.
The Letter
After tending to his other clients, Kasey eventually returned to the woman and her family to get the bill. But when he got closer to the table, he saw it was deserted. Fearing the worst, he couldn't help but assume that they had departed, furious because he hadn't taken care of them as well as he should have
If it were the case, he was powerless to change it at this time. His eyes widened, though, when he opened the leather folder and read the letter on the receipt.
Did He Deserve This?
Written in the gratuity line of the receipt the woman had written $500.37. At first, he thought she must have made a mistake. But when he counted the wad of cash and the coins, he knew it was correct.
Tears welled in his eyes as the incredibly generous gesture truly sank in. But he still felt confused. What had he done to deserve this? Then, he saw the note on the napkin.
An Explanation
“On behalf of the Sullivan family, I want to thank you for being the person you are,” the note written on the napkin in red ink began.
“On one of the most depressing days of the year, (the passing of my father’s 3-year anniversary) you made my mother’s day wonderful. She has been smiling since you did what you did.” Puzzled, he read on until the note began to make sense.
Good Karma
Only earlier that day, Kasey saw an elderly woman in the Kroger grocery store while he shopped for a few necessities. Immediately noticing that she looked quite upset, he approached her. “I noticed there was a lady standing in front of me,” he recounts.
“It looked like she had been crying because once in a while she’d glance over to me.” But he had no idea that his actions would send some good karma his way.
Southern Hospitality
Texans took hospitality seriously, or at least that’s what Kasey Simmon’s mom had always taught him. He respected those around him as a young man, but Kasey’s caring nature went beyond family.
It started as a day like any other. However, on this warm Texan morning, Kasey had no idea what a simple gesture would lead to when he decided to help a stranger.
Trying To Brighten Her Day
“I go up to her and say, ‘It’s not raining inside. There’s no reason to look so down. I’m sure you have a beautiful smile because you are a beautiful lady.’ It looked like she had a bad day,” Kasey remembers.
“She kind of shut me down a little bit. I wanted to make her at least grin a little bit and it wasn’t happening,” He added during an interview with ABC News.
She Refused To Smile
The woman grimaced more now, but Kasey was not so easily deterred. She reminded him of his gran and, such was his nature, he could not bear to see her upset.
He tried his best to crack some jokes and kept trying to make her smile. As he did this, he hadn’t expected her reaction. Instead of smiling as he hoped, she began to cry more.
He Didn’t Give Up
Kasey was invested in this now. Seeing the old woman so upset saddened him, and he felt more resolute about helping her. Where others may have given up and left her alone, Kasey couldn’t bring himself to leave her in tears.
Trying his hardest and acting the fool for her benefit, Kasey was determined to change her mood. After all his antics, something finally happened.
It Was Worth It
The woman’s face was pink now, her grey hair matted and wrinkled face streaked with tears. She looked so sad it broke Kasey’s heart. But after all his efforts, against all this, the woman broke a tiny smile.
Seeing it spread across her face was like a ray of sunshine to Kasey. Now that he’d accomplished the smile, he wanted to do more for her.
A Small Act Of Kindness
After speaking to the elderly lady for a while, Kasey offered to pay for her groceries. He wanted so badly to brighten her day. The total came to $17. After insisting that he would pay for it, she agreed.
She smiled at him warmly, and that’s when Kasey knew that he had just made her day a little easier. But he didn’t give it much thought after that. Little did he know, his good deed was about to come back to him in ways he’d never imagined.
A Bad Day
After he had paid for the stranger’s groceries, Kasey bid her farewell and gave her his Applebee’s business card. He wanted her to have someone to call if she ever needed help. Then, he headed off to begin his shift.
“Every time I get to work, I say, ‘It’s a great day. I’m going to make some friends and make some money,'” Kasey said. “This day happened to be the worst day of my Applebee’s career. I was having such a bad night that I was about to walk out of [that] place, and this lady comes in…”
The Next Day
By the next afternoon, Kasey could not dwell on the old lady. As a server at a local Applebees, his late shift was in full swing. Doing his best to keep up with the rush, Kasey cleared the table for a small family.
He immediately knew something was off. Despite there being two parents and two young kids, all the family ordered was a small flavored water for 37 cents before asking for the bill.
The Note
Being a dinner rush, any other server might have been annoyed by the family. They even asked to split the meager bill between two credit cards. But Kasey was no ordinary server.
Instead of anger, he politely did as they asked, choosing not to judge. When the family left, and he fetched the receipt, his jaw dropped as he found the note left for him.
Paying It Forward
Kasey had no idea that the woman who sat down in his section was actually the woman from Krogers’ daughter. It turns out that she had paid a special visit to Applebee’s just so that she could repay him for the kindness he showed her mother.
“Her grocery was only $17.00, and you insisted on paying and told her she was a very beautiful woman… my mother did not need you to help her, but you made her year,” the note concluded.
The Payback
Kasey could not believe his eyes. It seems ordering the flavored water had just been a ruse. Kasey had to check in with his manager if this was really happening.
He felt like he didn’t deserve it. The manager confirmed it was real. For a 37-cent bill, the family had left Kasey a $500 tip.
He Wasn’t Alone
Kasey was so amazed by what had happened that he posted about it on social media. In no time, the story went viral. Before long, even national news agencies were running the story.
The reaction to Kasey’s story has been overwhelmingly positive. Praised for his kindness, Kasey continues to look for opportunities to help others.
Everyday Hero
It wasn’t long before Kasey’s story was picked up by local news stations. Before he knew it, the story had gone viral. When he opened his Facebook feed, he was surprised to see netizens from all over the world hailing him as a hero!
“Fantastic to see that there are still good, generous, humble, sincere, and caring people in our vicious world of today. Well done and thank you!” one commenter wrote.
Kasey’s Philosophy
Kasey’s philosophy in life is to be kind at all times, but his example may not always be an easy one to follow.
These days, most people would rather look out for themselves than ever try to help another person – everyone is absorbed in their own lives. But Kasey’s story shows us that kindness can often be its own reward.
How To Change The World
Another Facebook user described Kasey’s story as “heartwarming,” and almost everyone agreed. Then, the original commenter made a suggestion. “If everyone did one act of kindness a day the world would be a much better place,” she said.
But just how does Kasey feel about becoming a hero and garnering so many followers and fans’ attention on social media?
Leading By Example
Despite his recent fame, Kasey remains humble. He just did what he thought was right by trying to brighten a stranger’s day.
“Even with what I did at the grocery store, I would want someone to do that for my daughter, mom, or grandmother,” he confessed. “If they looked the way that woman did at Kroger, I would pray you would do the same.”
Making A Difference
It’s stories like Kasey’s that help spread love and joy around the world. Performing one selfless act as simple as asking if someone is okay can make a huge difference in both your and their lives. And while not everyone might be as generous as the Sullivan family was to Kasey when it comes to returning the favor, that’s not the point of doing good deeds for others.
In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.