Five Lessons for Life - Part 4

Remember Those Who Serve

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.

"Fifty cents," she replied.

The boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. "Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?"

By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. "Thirty-five cents," she said, brusquely.

Again the boy studied his coins, then said, "I'll have the plain ice cream."

The waitress brought it, put the bill on the table and walked away.

The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies.

You see, he couldn't have the sundae because he had to have enough to leave her a tip.

Sent to Starmag by Lim Siew Yin