A woman had to serve a grumpy old man for years on her waitressing job because no one else wanted to do it.
However, he left his key and a note one day explaining something that broke the woman’s heart.
“Ok, Jessie. Since you’re the new girl around here.
You’ll have to take table 13,” her coworker, Mark, told Jessie as she placed her apron on for her first day as a waitress at a local restaurant. It was most popular during lunch.
However, when Jessie turned to table 13 – she had memorized as much as possible to start her first day on the right foot – she saw an older man, hunched on his chair overlooking the menu.
“It’s just an old man,” Jessie said, puzzled. “What’s so bad about him?”
“Oh, honey.
He’s terrible. So, be prepared. No one here likes to serve him,” Mark said, tilting his head knowingly.
“I can handle anything,” Jessie continued, confident.
But she was wrong to dismiss Mark’s words just like that.
The man at the table – Mr. Norton – was a piece of work.
“Ugh, who are you?” he scoffed when she approached with a smile.
“I’m Jessie. What will you have to drink today?” she maintained her friendly demeanor.
“I always have the same thing, and you lot ask me that all the time.
Ice tea. But not too cold or too sweet. Two lemon wedges and a straw,” the man muttered almost angrily.
“Sure.
And do you know what you’ll have for lunch?”
“Not yet. Go away and bring me my iced tea!” he demanded.
Jessie’s eyebrows rose, but she walked away and put in the iced tea order. Despite being relatively simple, the man complained.
At first, it was too sweet, and then it was too cold. His lemon wedges did not have enough juice. His straw was flimsy because it was made of paper now.
“We only have paper straws now,” Jessie said, trying not to lose her temper by the fourth glass she had prepared.
“Stupid, softy generation.
Fine! I want the lasagna,” the man spat and threw the menu at her chest. Jessie had a permanent smile on her face.
She would not let the man sour her mood on her first day. But there were all kinds of things wrong with the lasagna.
In fact, his table took so long that she served like six families around the older man before he finally finished. At least he left a tip.
“I should’ve listened,” Jessie told Mark at the end of the day.
“Yeah.
We’re sorry. But someone has to deal with him,” he laughed.
Still, Jessie would not let one bad customer bring her down. She was doing this for her kids.
She had five at home, and her husband, Bob, worked crazy hours to provide for them. But it was not enough, so she was finally back in the workforce, trying to do better for them. Luckily, her mother volunteered to watch the younger kids while she worked.
However, Jessie came home at night exhausted and spent almost no time with her children.
As she fell asleep, she promised herself to do better tomorrow and play with her kids.
Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Because every day was more complicated and harder with her grumpy client plus the other patrons. Being a waitress was more challenging now than when she was younger, but at least the tips were good.
The story doesn’t end here — it continues on the next page.
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