(I work with a few other people at the front desk of a suite-based hotel. It’s vacation season, and the lobby is super busy. A girl who looks about 17 comes in and bee-lines for the concierge.)

Coworker: “Hello, miss, how can I help you today?”

Girl: “Uh, there’s a problem in our suite.”

Coworker: “I’m sorry to hear that. What seems to be the matter?”

(The girl glances around, leans across the counter, and beckons [Coworker] towards her. She says something to him in a very low tone, and he immediately goes pale.)

Coworker: *leaning back* “Oh, wow! I am so sorry you have to deal with that. We will take care of that right away. Is there anything I can do for you or family in the meantime?”

Girl: *at a normal volume* “Nah, don’t worry about it. I took care of most of it. Just thought you ought to know before you get anyone else in. Take care!”

(She turns and leaves.)

Me: “What was that all about?”

Coworker: “Only the chillest guest ever.” *lowers voice to whisper* “She wanted to tell me that she found some cockroaches in their room and that we should take care of it before we rent the suite out to anyone else.”

Me: “Are they asking us to comp them on the suite?”

Coworker: “She isn’t even asking to be moved! Said they’re checking out tomorrow, anyway!”

Me: *stunned silence*

Coworker: “I’m going to go make her a basket.”

(We have gift baskets with candy bars, snacks, and coupons to various local businesses and restaurants for VIPs. With all the unreasonable complaints we get, it was MIND-BLOWING for someone to come in with a legitimate issue like that without getting angry or making any demands. We still thank our lucky stars that someone that polite got the room with cockroaches. And yes, we immediately scheduled an appointment to have the room treated after they left.)

(I started teaching at this school halfway into the year. I’m a relatively new teacher, so I’m still a bit timid in the staff room. I am also often self-conscious about my eating habits. I go out one day in June, a few weeks before the end of the school year, to grab a coffee at lunch. I come back with a donut. It’s a pretty extravagant-looking thing and catches the other teachers’ attention.)

Teachers: *commenting on the delicious donut*

Me: “I know, I know. It’s really unnecessary; I shouldn’t have bought it. But I’m having salad for dinner tonight, so I guess I can kind of justify it.” *apologetic smile*

(Immediately, three teachers whip their heads up to look at me.)

Teacher #1: “IT’S JUNE.”

Teacher #2: “That’s all the justification you need.”

Teacher #3: “In fact, that’s not enough. Have this, too.” *breaks off half of her cookie and slides it over to me*

(I am an avid trivia buff, so while on a cruise, I go to most of the trivia events. One night, we’re sitting through movie poster trivia; the host has removed the titles from classic movie posters, which are shown on a screen, and the idea is to identify the movie. He then asks various bonus questions about each one. I am married, but my husband is not on the trip with me, so I don’t have access to his plentiful film knowledge. One of the movies in question is “The Force Awakens,” which I can identify easily enough, and I’m delighted that I know the answers to all of the Star Wars bonus questions. Once all of the posters have been examined and the bonus questions asked, we review the answers.)

Host: “Now, what movie is this?”

Almost Everyone: “Star Wars: The Force Awakens!”

Host: “Good! Make sure you specifically have The Force Awakens written down. First bonus question: what is the fastest ship in the galaxy?”

Almost Everyone: “The Millennium Falcon!”

Host: “Who is the co-pilot of that ship?”

Almost Everyone: “Chewbacca!”

Host: “And what is the name of his home planet?”

Me: “Kashyyyk!”

Host: “What?”

Me: “Kashyyyk.”

Host: “I… I actually don’t know what to say. I’ve been running this trivia game for weeks, and this is the first time anyone has actually known the answer to that question. Even I didn’t know the answer to that question.”

Me: “So… do I get the point?”

Host: “No one here can refute your answer, so yes, you get the point. I had no idea I was in the presence of the trivia queen.”

Me: “I’m a sci-fi nerd by marriage.”

Host: “No, madam, you’re just a nerd.”

(Everyone laughs and we continue the answer review. I do not have the highest score at the end of the game, so I don’t receive one of the promised prizes. However, the host approaches me.)

Host: “In honor of your remarkable knowledge, I have this for you.”

(He put a MEDAL around my neck. I’d sailed with this cruise line before, so I’d seen these medals in the past: a blue ribbon with a silver charm shaped like the cruise line’s logo. They’re usually awarded for the various athletic competitions. I thanked him for the gift, then immediately texted my husband at home to tell him what happened. For the remainder of the cruise, I was variously identified as “the Chewbacca lady” and “the trivia queen” by both staff members and other passengers.)

(I work alone most days, as it’s a small store and the start of the work week is usually pretty slow. I’m also a fairly short woman at 5’3″ and come across as pretty meek. I’m currently working on a stock reorder, when a man I’ve never seen before comes into my empty store.)

Me: “Hi there! Anything I can help you find today?”

Customer #1: “Do you guys sell Pokémon cards?”

Me: “No, sorry. We don’t carry them.”

Customer #1: “Do you buy cards?”

Me: “No, we don’t, but [Other Store] does. It’s what they’re known for, actually. Is there anything else I can help you with, though?”

(A married couple comes through the door and starts looking at the shelves of chess sets next to it. [Customer #1] gives a quick look over his shoulder and shakes his head.)

Customer #1: “That’s fine. I’ll just look around.”

(He then moves further into the store towards the rack we keep our card sleeves on, so I assume that he’s interested in finding something for his card collection. I greet the new customers and inform them that if they need anything they just have to ask, but they’re pretty content and continue to look over the games there while I go back to my previous task. Two minutes later, I can hear this strange rustling just to the side of me behind the counter.)

Me: *to myself* “That sounds like wrapping paper. What the…?”

(That’s when I see something moving out of the corner of my eye, and turn just in time to see [Customer #1]’s arm pulling back around the corner of the counter with a sealed box of an expensive and popular card game that we store under the gift wrapping, some of which was hanging over the lip of its shelf and had brushed against his arm while he was reaching inside. I immediately go after the guy as he shoves the whole box into the front of his hoodie.)

Me: *in a surprisingly loud and stern voice* “EXCUSE ME?! Give that back to me, right NOW!”

Customer #1: *barely looks at me as he starts to run for the door, with the box clearly outlined on his stomach* “What?! I didn’t take anything!”

(The guy is at least a foot taller than me and is built like a linebacker, so even while I’m running after him, I’m thinking to myself, “Just what am I going to do if I catch him?” As he hits the door to shove it open, though, the husband’s arm snaps out and grabs the thief’s arm before anyone even realizes what he’s doing, and they both go tumbling out into the street with the wife and me close behind.)

Customer #1: *struggles to pull himself free of the arm-lock he’s suddenly found himself in while the other man holds on to him tightly* “Let go! You can’t do this!”

Me: “Give me back the d*** box!”

Customer #1: “I didn’t take anything!”

Me: “I can see it!”

(I start to reach for the box, ready to rip his hoodie open on the spot, even as a crowd gathers around to see what all the noise is about.)

Customer #1: “Fine! Whatever!” *scowls at me as he opens his jacket and hands the box back* “Now let go!”

(With that, he finally pulls his arm free and stomps off through the crowd before any of us can say anything about it.)

Wife: *to her husband, clearly worried about him* “My God! What were you thinking?!”

Husband: *gives a small shrug as he watches the other man storm away with a look of surprise* “I wasn’t. I just did it… He’s really big, huh?”

(Though not as short as me, this gentleman is still a good three or four inches shorter and 75 pounds or more lighter than the guy he nabbed at the door.)

Me: “Thank you so much! I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t have grabbed him when you did!”

Husband: “Ye-yeah. I’m really surprised I did, too.”

(He chuckles a bit as he becomes more aware of just how badly things could have turned, then hugs his wife.)

Husband: *in a joking tone* “I don’t suppose there’s a dumb heroics discount, huh?”

Me: *completely serious* “Yes. Yes, there is, sir. What can I get for you?”

(My mother and I are just about to start a four-hour drive home after her childhood best friend’s funeral. It has been a very long day for my poor mother and myself, as you can imagine, and my mother is emotionally very tired. We spend most of our day either traveling or crying. I have managed to convince my mother that she should eat something before we start the long journey home. We pull into the car park of a well-known fast food chain, and I go in to get us a sandwich each.)

Me: “Two [sandwiches], please.”

Young Girl: *behind the counter* “Of course. Have you had a good day today?”

(She’s a very smiley, cheery girl, but after the day we’ve had, I can’t bring myself to say yes.)

Me: “Not really.”

Young Girl: *a bit taken aback* “Oh, I’m sorry. May I ask why?”

Me: “It’s been a bad day; we buried my mother’s childhood friend today.”

(I gesture in our car’s general direction, to where my mother is sitting there having a private little cry.)

Young Girl: *silence for a second* “Hold on…”

(She walks out the back into the kitchen. When she comes back, she has two full bags with her, instead of the small bag it would have taken for just two sandwiches.)

Young Girl: “Here. I know it won’t help much, but there’s two full free meals, instead of just the two sandwiches. We all hope your mother is okay.”

(I couldn’t quite believe it. I was so grateful, and so was my mother. We were both sobbing when I told her. She sent a handwritten letter to the company after we were home and a few days had gone by, which we both signed. I’ll never forget that young girl and her kindness.)