She glanced at the table in the corner, searching for his familiar face, and her heart skipped a beat. For the second morning in a row, the table where he sat for the previous seven years was empty. Even the first day of his absence was unusual in and of itself. After two days, she couldn’t get the feeling that something wasn’t quite right with him. Melinda Salazar had been working as a waitress at Lobby’s in Brownsville, Texas, for more than seven years when that story happened.
Even though serving on tables can be exhausting, she always has a welcoming smile on her face and is determined to provide her customers with the finest service possible. During her first week on the job, she began to notice that the restaurant had a few frequent clients, one of whom in particular had developed quite a reputation among the waiters and servers. The elderly gentleman, Walter Buck Swords was an 89-year-old veteran who’d made it a point to stop at Louis for a bite to eat every single day for the past seven years.
During her first week on the job, Melina, who is still in training, was assigned to his table, which was nothing short of a baptism by fire because, as the story goes, Walter Swords was regarded by the lobby’s personnel as being an unusually difficult customer. Melina was apprehensive as she approached, but she maintained her composure and smiled throughout.
Despite Walter’s bad reputation, she resolved to serve him as if he were any other customer, and she was determined to attempt when it came to maintain a cheerful attitude. Molina was the type of woman who sought to see the best in everyone. However, she was about to be put to the ultimate test. In the end, it turned out that Walter had a reputation for being short-tempered and cranky to the restaurant’s employees. He was also a demanding, irritable, and cranky customer, and he was a horrible customer for any waitress to have to deal with.
After being caught aback by the request that his dinner is served hot, Melina decided to investigate further. He snapped that he didn’t care if he burned his mouth because that was exactly how he wanted it to be. It was at this point that Molina’s precarious relationship with her irritable customer began, and it went on for another seven years. Molina was adamant about making a valiant effort despite Walter’s difficult reputation. His behaviour was so awful that he would even curse at her when he was feeling particularly irritable.
Although it was difficult for her, she put on a brave face every morning and made the best of her circumstances. When he arrived, she greeted him with a cheerful smile and a warm how are you today? Her efforts were not unappreciated, and she received positive feedback. Melina was taken aback when she noticed that a regular customer wasn’t seated at his usual table one fateful morning. Even though the pair didn’t have what most would consider a healthy relationship.
Molina had grown to like the grumpy old man in her way. Over time, his presence at Louis had almost become a permanent fixture in her life. As a result, Molina was perplexed as to why he’d stopped coming in to eat. Walter had not been seen for the second and third days, and the absence continued. Melina began to be concerned that something had happened to him, but she had no way of knowing where he lived or who his relatives were, so she had no way of finding out for sure.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong, and she found herself thinking about her irritable customer long after she’d finished her shift. Was he all right? Was there something wrong with him? A few days later, Melina found herself working at Walter’s normal table, hoping to see his familiar face once more. However, there was no one at the table.
The waitress walked to a table at the back of the restaurant and began flipping through the local newspaper while she waited for a ship to begin. On the back page, she saw something that devastated her heart. It was an answer to her question, displayed in black and white in the obituary section of the newspaper. Malin was disappointed to see Walter’s name printed in that section of the newspaper. Walter M.
Buck, Swords, 89, of Brownsville, Texas, the obituary’s header said. After realizing that she would never see him again, Molina’s eyes welled with tears. Life, on the Other hand, would go on. She waited on tables that day with a sorrowful heart, but she had no idea what was in store for her later that day. Since then, Melina has treated her favourite cranky customer with care and patience throughout their several years.
After all, she was well aware that despite his rudeness towards her, he’d been through a lot in his life. He was at Louis, so she figured the least she could do was be nice to him while he was there. But she had no idea that Walter would notice her efforts. Melina had no idea that the cranky man had appreciated her efforts and nice grin every morning, which she had been blissfully unaware of. He had served his nation during World War II and had gone on to establish two profitable trucking firms in the years that followed his military service.
Melina, on the other hand, had no idea how much her assistance had meant to him. Melina received a phone call that would forever alter her life. Just a few days before Christmas, and apparently, the routine day had passed and everyone was getting ready for the Christmas season to begin. Molina went about her business as she’d been doing for years. The phone rang out of nowhere.
Someone had called her name and wanted to speak with her. Think about Molina’s surprise when she discovered that Walter Buck swords had left something special to her in his last will. After all these years, Walter had specifically included Melina in his will, and he wished to leave her a gift as a symbol of his appreciation for putting up with his demands for so long. He must have realized he wasn’t the simplest customer to deal with. Needless to say, Molina was very taken aback when she discovered what the grumpy man had left for her to discover.
They informed her that Walter had left her an enormous sum of money $50,000 to be exact and that she should take advantage of the opportunity. And not only that, but he had also bequeathed his favourite waitress in his car, a 2000 Buick. Molina had never imagined herself to have such a vast sum of money. She’d finally be able to follow her lifelong goal of attending chef school. All of her good deeds had culminated in the most incredible turn of circumstances for her.
The fact that she’d made such a positive difference in Walter’s life, however, brought Melina the greatest happiness. Even in the face of his misbehaviour. He had appreciated her patience and care and treated him like she would any other frequent client, and she had made an impression on the elderly guy, even though he never expressed his gratitude to her.
Soon, Melina’s story of kindness and the complete surprise she’d received from the most improbable customer had circulated throughout the entire nation. People couldn’t get enough of the story because it demonstrated that being kind always pays off, even when the going gets rough and the rough gets going harder and harder to handle.
The tale was picked up by local news stations, and Molina had the opportunity to tell it on national television. Molina told Kgbtv that Walter had been abusive to her while she was serving him and that he insisted on having his way with everything. She had just carried out her responsibilities and attempted to please him by ensuring that his orders were always delivered in the manner in which he desired. She never lost her cool or seemed to be outraged by his profanity. After receiving her unexpected windfall, Melina didn’t reveal whether she’d continue working as a waitress at Lewis.
However, she did offer some valuable advice to her fellow servers if they encounter a particularly difficult customer as she did. Her words ring true and loud for the majority of situations encountered in everyday life as well. One thing I wish for is that all the servers out there have tolerance for their customers. They may curse at you from time to time but simply ignore them. Simply put a smile during an interview.
Malina advised people to be courteous. In the end, her patience and compassion earned Walter’s admiration and respect. She never did any of it with the expectation of being rewarded, yet she was rewarded most unexpectedly.
