Unexpected Kindness

I’ll never forget the guy who asked me how much of a tip I wanted or thought I deserved. Although I wanted to say a million dollars, this is one of the most awkward questions to be asked by a guest. How much is too much to ask? And if I give a reasonable answer will he just give me that amount when I could have gotten more? His check was about $35 meaning a standard 20% would have been no more than $7. Catching me by surprise, I had no idea what to say.

I started blushing and then to make it even more obvious, I told the old man he was making me hot. This comment of course taken in the wrong direction just started a whole other chain of comments and jokes that made me blush even more. I was probably the color of a fire truck after a couple seconds, but he would not let me walk away before I answered his question.

After a couple of minutes in the debate of me telling the man to give me what he wanted and him telling me to give him an amount, he found a way to compromise. He asked me what my biggest tip had been so far that day. I replied with “$20”. Then he said, “That settles it”. I was under the impression that he was going to match it since $20 would be a tip for a $100 check, but instead he said, “I’ll double it”.

I hope that one day, I have the means to make someone’s day as this generous old man did mine. If not, I have made it a point to have the money to do it at least once in my life.