This customer came in that I’ve gotten to know over the past few months. She greeted me at the gas station one time as, "Mr. Bowtie!" Well, she asked to use me as a reference and said it could be as a personal reference since she didn't have any friends who would be a good reference. I'd given her job app tips, and leads on jobs and wished her well, that sort of thing. I said of course she could.
She thanked me and said she appreciated it and why was I always so good to her. She was trying to change her life and friends and get away from the drama and the problems and drugs and stuff and I’d always treated her well. I said, “I always thought you were a good person in a bad situation and I just hoped you’d be able to climb your way out of it. I knew you wanted better for yourself. I could see it.”
So, she started crying and asked if she could hug me. I said there were cameras and I’d get in trouble. So she shook my hand and held it and held it and cried and thanked me for believing in her even when she didn’t. That’s why she came in when she saw my car because sometimes I was the only bright spot in her day and I was a complete stranger to her.
The lesson here? Be nice to people. It's free and it might mean a lot more to them than you know. I was really surprised that she even noticed me as more than a schmuck in a bowtie.
To be fair I'd only initially started talking to her because I'm pretty sure she was stealing make-up from us so I hung around, struck up conversations and chatted to her until she left. She hangs out in make-up much less now than she did then but who knew we'd go from me suspecting she was stealing to what happened tonight. There's a bunch of opportunities out there to be kind to people that are free. Take advantage of them would you? One day it may be someone you love who you don't even know needs a friendly person out there in the world and you'd want someone to be there for them wouldn't you?
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