A Regular Nice Guy

I was enjoying breakfast at a small, locally-owned diner, sitting at the counter. I was chatting with the owner — also a waitress — when a regular walked in, strolled up to the counter, and sat down two seats away.

The owner said, “Good morning, [Customer].” He never ordered his meal; it just showed up — a definite regular. I began chatting with the man, who seemed to be in his seventies.

I mentioned that my wife and I were considering moving to the area from about 70 miles away. It would be a significant commute for me for work, but the area is gorgeous. He told me about a place down the road from his apple orchard. It turned out to be more acreage than we were interested in and about double the price we were looking for.

The waitress pulled off my food ticket and set it down in front of [Customer]. I thought she had made a mistake. I then saw [Customer] grab his ticket and mine off the counter. I sat there with my mouth agape, looking at her, then at the tickets [Customer] took, and back at her.

She said, “He does that now and then for people.”

I said, “That’s not fair. That’s not right.”

He didn’t say anything. He just paid both bills. I left a large tip even though he’d left a tip, too. I profusely thanked him and left. I don’t know if he reads this site, but if so, I’ll see you during apple season because I am going certainly be at your orchard to buy some apples.