Passed Out From The Kindness

(I’m working the closing shift with another coworker when suddenly an elderly lady passes out cold on one of our tables. Some other customers are with her immediately and I call an ambulance right away. I help by grabbing blankets and something to drink as soon as she is conscious again and the ambulance takes her to the hospital. Through all that, some customers stay by her side and tell the paramedics what happened, so she can receive the care she needs. Fast forward three weeks. I’ve been wondering a few times what might have happened to that lady, but I’ve accepted I’ll probably never get to know. I arrive to start my shift one day and see a lady who seems quite familiar standing by a coworker. My coworker greets me and tells me the lady wants to talk to me.)

Elderly Lady: “I don’t know if you remember me, but I’m [Elderly Lady], the woman who passed out here a few weeks ago. I got out of the hospital yesterday and I wanted to stop by and thank you. Thanks to your fast reaction, I’m still here today.”

(She proceeds to tell me that the doctors found an issue with her heart as the reason for her passing out. It needed immediate treatment, which she then received. I tell her what actually happened because she couldn’t really remember.)

Elderly Lady: “I remember another woman kneeling next to me, holding my head and such. Do you happen to know her?”

Me: “No, I’m sorry. That was another customer, and she left when you were taken care of. All I did was call an ambulance, really. Anything else was done by other customers and the paramedics.”

Elderly Lady: “And this was more than I could expect already. Thank you. Will you tell me your name?”

(I gave her my name and told her the name of my coworker, who was there, too. She wrote both of our names down. We talked for a few more minutes until I had to start my shift. She thanked me again and left. Fast forward another two weeks. Once more I arrived at work, this time to find a nicely-wrapped gift with my name on it. Inside was a box of chocolates and a card from the elderly lady, in which she thanked me once more and said how much it meant to her. My coworker got a gift, too. We’re still waiting to see the lady return so we can finally thank her for the gifts. Seeing the lady go the extra mile just because I did what should be common courtesy totally restored my faith in humanity.)