The Best Customer I Ever Had

I was working the lunch shift in a small-town restaurant. It was owned and operated by a wonderful Greek family. We served subs, pizzas, and a few other basic Italian and Greek dishes. It was small town, big-time. The tables were always filled with loyal regular customers and the phone was always ringing with take-out orders.

Nearly every weekday I would meet the same people for lunch: the nurses from the local hospital, the “girls” from the beauty school, the fellas from the garage, the retired ladies, the retired men, the two cops- who were also brothers, the guy with his dad, the businessmen who ran the town…and the star of today's story, the Fed Ex Man.

As a good server, you learn who wants only a meal and who enjoys a bit of a chat or company as they eat. The Fed Ex Man was one of the latter. He came in a few times a week and usually ordered a sub with a diet coke. As he was on his route he was usually alone, though he did bring his kind wife once when he wasn't working and they were passing through.

When I had time we enjoyed light chatter…sports, headlines, nothing deep…and over time had each mentioned the basics of our background. He had a wife, grown children, no grands yet. I had a husband, a school-aged son, and several siblings.

One day he came in and sat in the section of a server who usually worked nights but happened to be filling in on the lunch shift that day. When I came out and saw her taking his order I went over and playfully fought with her for the table. “Oh no, you go get your own favorite customer -this one's mine.”. And from her, comments like, “What, afraid he's gonna find out what good service is?” He was very much enjoying our banter and gave a hearty laugh when I relented saying, “Fine, but I'm telling Dad you took my customer.”, confirming what I'm sure he could already see.

My baby sister and I look very much alike. During his visit that day he asked why he hadn't met her before and she told him she and her two little ones had just moved back to the area and were staying with my small family while they were getting settled in the town.

While he ate they chatted briefly when she'd stop by to check on him. He asked about her children at one point and she showed him the pictures she carried in her order pad of the two adorable little tykes.

He finished his meal, left a decent tip- as usual, and went on his way.

A day or so later, when he next stopped in, he sat in my section and I happily placed his order and brought his meal. What happened next was a blessing, a small miracle, and an act of humanity I cherish to this day.

He started by saying he hoped he wouldn't offend me, but that he'd been talking with his wife about my sister and me. He explained that as they had no little ones at home anymore, and had been blessed with security, each Christmas they “adopted” a family and enjoyed providing gifts for the little ones. He said that he assumed with her very recent transition money might be a little tight for my sister that year and he and his wife wanted to help her provide Christmas for her little ones. He then gave me a Christmas card with a Wal-Mart gift card inside and asked me to pass it along, without telling her whom it was from.

Neither of us had told him how little our small household had that Christmas. We didn't mention she had fled from an unhealthy relationship or how much she was struggling to start over. He couldn't have known how my husband and I worried overstretching our very meager income to provide for not three but six, let alone provide Christmas for not one child, but three. But he did know. With his own blend of life experience, empathy, and wisdom, he did know.

My sister knew only that the answer to her prayers came from one of the many customers we provided with genuine kind service. As the kids danced around on that beautiful morning a couple of weeks later, with the doll, the truck, and their excited faces, I sent up a prayer for the Fed Ex Man and his wife, the best customer I ever had.