For a couple of years now I’ve had an American Dollar bill in my wallet folded neatly and never used, and here is why.
My first job at 16 was working for Tim Horton’s. It was the beginning of my independence and although I enjoyed the money, the fast pace atmosphere was always the one thing I would complain about. During one of my dinner time rushes I was serving people as quickly and nicely as possible. Person after person passed by my counter some were happy and some definitely not to happy.
When the rush was finally over I started cleaning up the mess me and the others had made. After a few moments a man was standing in front of me on the other side of the counter. I looked up and recognized him from moments before. (Ham and Swiss sandwich meal) He waited for me to notice him and I stopped what I was doing and asked if anything was wrong. Then I watched as he put his hand on top of the counter, not saying a word until he pulled his hand away and an American dollar bill appeared. A little confused at his gesture he leaned in and said “Never stop smiling because you’re good at it” and then he walked away and I never saw him again.
The reason why I never cashed the tip was because this man was obviously in a terrible accident. His face was severely burnt and scared, he didn’t have any ears, nose, lips or eyebrows. I remember seeing him in the line earlier and served him as if he was just another person. So this man who obviously had a much more difficult life than I did, took a moment out of his day to acknowledge me and I never had the heart to cash the tip but instead kept it as a reminder to smile.
- D
My first job at 16 was working for Tim Horton’s. It was the beginning of my independence and although I enjoyed the money, the fast pace atmosphere was always the one thing I would complain about. During one of my dinner time rushes I was serving people as quickly and nicely as possible. Person after person passed by my counter some were happy and some definitely not to happy.
When the rush was finally over I started cleaning up the mess me and the others had made. After a few moments a man was standing in front of me on the other side of the counter. I looked up and recognized him from moments before. (Ham and Swiss sandwich meal) He waited for me to notice him and I stopped what I was doing and asked if anything was wrong. Then I watched as he put his hand on top of the counter, not saying a word until he pulled his hand away and an American dollar bill appeared. A little confused at his gesture he leaned in and said “Never stop smiling because you’re good at it” and then he walked away and I never saw him again.
The reason why I never cashed the tip was because this man was obviously in a terrible accident. His face was severely burnt and scared, he didn’t have any ears, nose, lips or eyebrows. I remember seeing him in the line earlier and served him as if he was just another person. So this man who obviously had a much more difficult life than I did, took a moment out of his day to acknowledge me and I never had the heart to cash the tip but instead kept it as a reminder to smile.
- D
Thanks for sharing this story Danielle. It was wonderful that this man gave you something to last a lifetime. Good for you realizing at such a young age, that his gesture had a much deeper meaning.
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