Anita Smith and her son Daniel Nevarez weren’t expecting kindness on the menu when they went out for lunch, but that’s exactly what they were served.
The two were enjoying a rare mother-son lunch date at Dynasty Restaurant, 2427 Lathrop Ave., on Tuesday when an emotional conversation led to an unexpected gift from a stranger.
The night before, the 44-year-old Smith had been thinking a lot about her mother, who had passed away in 2007.
“It’ll be 10 years this year of the anniversary of my mother’s passing,” Smith said. During their lunch, Smith was telling her son about a dream she had the previous night in which her mother visited her.
Smith, normally a private person, broke into tears. “I’m not a person who cries in public at all,” Smith said. “But when I was telling him, I just got overwhelmed with emotion.”
That is when Jodi Akins, a waitress at Dynasty, walked up to the table and asked if Smith was all right, even offering her a hug.
Both Smith and Nevarez were appreciative of Akins’ gesture, but Nevarez didn’t expect less. When the two had sat down, he had seen that Akins was their waitress and said “She’s the best waitress. I’m glad we got her. She is really nice.”
The two continued their lunch, but when they received the bill, there was no dollar amount due. Instead, on the check was written the words: “I cannot bring your mommy back, but I can buy lunch! (It’s what she would have done anyway). Smile through your tears, hold on to the memory!”
“I cried even more at the table then,” Smith said. Before leaving, Smith gave Akins a big hug. “It was a super special experience. I hope she knows how much that meant to me that day, and ever since,” Smith said.
Akins, a single mother of two, admits that she occasionally does pick up patron’s bills, for lone diners, police officers and veterans, but doesn’t do it for any sort of recognition.
“Everybody has heartache, but if you can just give a little grace and compassion to others, it makes life more worth living,” Akins said. “Everybody deserves grace, but you can’t expect it if you aren’t willing to give it out.”
The simple act made a huge impact on Smith and her son.
“She’s got a big heart,” Smith said. “It changed my thoughts and made my day. I don’t know how else to describe it. I never find things to be a coincidence. We chose that restaurant for a reason, and I promise to pay it forward, and that’s what I am going to do.”
And Akins is happy she was able to bring a smile to a patron’s face. “It’s not about what about I take from this world,” Akins said. “It’s about what I leave behind and who I teach my children to be.”
(Via: journaltimes.com)
