The fast-food restaurant was all abuzz with people ordering, eating, chatting, and laughing. Employees were busy taking orders, serving freshly-made meals, refilling condiments, and cleaning tables when a familiar middle-aged blind man walked into the store. He’d been in the establishment plenty of times before and had the routine down pat.
He patiently stood in a rather long line, waited for his turn, and quietly whistled a cheerful tune. Once he stepped up to the counter, he ordered his usual meal, “Hello, there, how are you doing today?”
“Very well, sir! How about you?”
“Just fine, thanks. I’ll have a double cheeseburger, medium fry, and a chocolate shake, please!”
“Okay, will that be all for you today?”
“Yes, yes it will!”
As the blind man pulled his wallet from his back pocket to pay, he accidentally let a $50 bill fall onto the floor.
One of the employees behind the counter saw the cash drop and started to say something. But, before he could even utter a single word, an elderly woman on a motorized cart whispered to her granddaughter, “Dear, pick that up.”
The little girl nodded and quickly scooped the bill off the floor, then tried to give it back to the blind man, “Excuse me…excuse me, sir!”
But, her grandmother immediately intervened, scolding her, “Shhh! Don’t do that!” She promptly snatched the bill out of the little girl’s hands, hastily stuffed it into her purse, and wheeled up to the counter as though nothing had happened, while the blind man, unaware of what he lost, walked away from the order area to the pickup station.
“Give me a chicken sandwich with Parmesan cheese, a side of red sauce, and a bag of chips. And don’t dawdle this time, I’m in a hurry and the drive-thru line is way too long!”
“Oh, I’m sorry, ma’am, we’re all out of Parmesan cheese, and besides, I can’t take your order anyway.”
“What do you mean you’re out of Parmesan cheese? You’re always out of Parmesan cheese every time I come in here! And, what do you mean you can’t take my order?!”
“Well, I saw that man drop a $50 bill. I also saw you tell this little girl to pick it up. She tried to give it back, but you stopped her, grabbed it away from her, and shoved it right into your purse – that’s stealing – you need to give it back to that gentleman.”
“Excuse me? You saw no such thing, you snide little teenage brat! It’s mine! I dropped it and my granddaughter picked it up for me. Now, take my order and give me my food!”
“I’m sorry, but you need to give that back. I watched the whole thing…you didn’t drop it, he did. Once you give it back, I’ll be happy to take your order and give you your food.”
“Even if it was his, he’s blind and wouldn’t even know if it’s missing.”
The employee implored her again to give the bill back, but she refused and immediately became irate, loudly berating and cursing at the employee.
“Ma’am, you are being rude and abusive – please leave the store.”
The back and forth continued, escalating so much that it became a big scene, causing the manager to step in and intercede. When he inquired as to what was wrong, the woman snapped, “Your employee won’t serve me. Plus, he’s being very, very impolite! This is not the way to treat customers.”
The manager momentarily took his employee aside so they could discuss the matter and the teenager explained what transpired – the blind man dropped a $50 bill and the woman on the motorized cart stole it. The manager, who knew the blind man because he was a regular, felt bad. But, neither story could easily be confirmed.
“I understand what you’re saying. Unfortunately, the camera suddenly stopped working just before the lunch rush – the technician is on his way. So, it wasn’t caught on video. Besides, the store can’t be responsible for it, either. I know it’s not fair, but there’s really nothing we can do. Now, I’ll have someone else serve her – you take a quick break and come back when she leaves.”
Disappointed, the employee agreed but saw an opportunity – the blind man had just received his order and was leaving the restaurant. The young man quickly retrieved his wallet from his locker and approached the blind man as he walked into the parking lot, pulling $50 of his own money out.
“Sir! Sir! I’m sorry, but I believe you dropped this…it’s uh…it’s uh fifty-dollar bill.”
“Boy! I sure would have missed this at some point. Thank you, thank you, young man. I didn’t realize I’d lost it. You know, it’s a shame, but some people would actually take advantage, and wouldn’t even say a thing. God bless you, son, God bless you!”
The very next day, the employee got a congratulatory call from the CEO of the franchise, a customer saw the entire thing and sent an email to the corporate office. The teenager was given a promotion and as word spread about his kind deed over the following days, the store’s business doubled and donations poured in to reimburse the employee, who simply donated all the cash he received to a local charity.
