Ninety-One-Year-Old Veteran Dines Solo Daily Until Waiter Unveils Heartwarming Discovery

Sad Reality Rico looked at the older man at the other side of the room and wondered what his story was. Why did he come in every day? Rico was sure he didn’t keep returning for the food. In fact, customers often complained about their food and people rarely returned for more. Clearly the man had some other reason for returning every day. Habit Pexels The old man came into the diner every day as part of his regular routine. There must have been a reason for it. He also always sat in the exact same seat. One day, Rico got a surprise when he started overhearing things the old man said when he thought Rico was out of earshot. Mumbling To Himself Pexels “Forgive me”, and “I’m so sorry for this” are some of the mumbled phrases Rico overheard the man uttering while Rico was cleaning the counter tops. He was concerned about the old man and worried that things might get out of hand if he didn’t do something about that now. However, he had no idea what he was letting himself in for. A Closer Look Pexels Rico watched the man for a while before deciding that he needed to take a closer look. He walked up to the old man and asked him if he was enjoying his food. The man always ordered the same, weird meal: a sandwich with onion and mayonnaise. However, this was not the strangest thing that would happen. Below The Table Pexels But the man didn’t seem interested in conversing with Rico and just ignored him. When the waiter looked under the table though, his heart broke for the old man. The man finally noticed Rico and realized that his secret had been revealed. He invited Rico to sit and Rico complied, not realizing how this moment would forever change his life. Rico’s Story Pexels Rico Reynolds grew up in Ogden, Utah, and his parents taught him from a very young age to be weary of strangers. He also just seemed to be naturally introverted. Despite his caution, he found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time in this situation. He had no idea what to do next. It’s A Job Pexels Rico wanted to save money for college and at the age of 20, he found a job as a waiter at a neighborhood diner. He was saving money by still living with his parents so he could save most of his wages for his education. He could never have guessed how dangerous this simple job would become. A Few Months Later Pexels After a few months on the job, Rico had really gotten the hang of it. He served tables like a veteran and occasionally got some very good tips as well. He had no idea, however, there was to be one customer he would never be able to impress, and how tragic the consequences of their encounter would be. Not Very Popular Pexels Despite the good service provided by Rico, the diner didn’t have many patrons and was especially quiet during the day. The waiter marveled at how the place managed to stay in business, but he was just grateful to have a job and didn’t ask too many questions. However, everything changed when the old man walked through the door. No Idea Pexels Despite his unremarkable appearance, the old man harbored an intriguing secret. For some unknown reason, he insisted on sitting in one of the older booths in the diner, despite there being many other, more comfortable seats available. Rico waited until the man put his menu down to walk over and greet him, but the man didn’t seem very enthusiastic about their exchange. Straight Forward Pexels He introduced himself to the man with a smile and offered to take his order. His friendliness was not returned, and the man interrupted him curtly with his order: toasted cheese, mayo and onion. " Rico simply bowed his head and went about his business. This was part of the job and he didn’t take it personally. A Little Scorned Pexels The man slowly ate his food and after an hour, got up, paid the bill and left without saying a word to Rico - or leaving him a tip. This time Rico did feel a little offended, but he knew the next customer would probably be more generous so he didn’t worry about it too much. He had no idea how interesting things were about to become. The Following Day Pexels Rico was patiently waiting for patrons to come into the diner the next day when the old man walked in again. He couldn’t believe his eyes. Although he firmly believed in giving people second chances, Rico didn’t hold out much hope that he would be treated better this time. He approached the man and asked him for his order. Same As Before Pexels The man’s order was the same as the previous day and Rico simply handed him his sandwich again just as the day before. Rico was curious about the old man and surreptitiously studied him while wiping down the counters. The diner was quiet so he had the opportunity to do a lot of that. Then he wishes that he hadn’t. Unusual Behavior Pexels The man’s behavior was quite unusual. He took a bite of his sandwich while staring at the seat opposite him as if there was someone sitting there. It made Rico feel uncomfortable. At the time, Rico had no idea how dark and convoluted the old man’s history was, or the effect it would have on his own life. Respect Pexels Rico was in a difficult position. Although he was taught to be weary of strangers, he was also taught to respect his elders. The best thing to do, it seemed to him, was to keep trying to get the man to open up to him. Even though his intuition told him that he was wading into dangerous territory, he persisted. The Same Every Day Pexels Rico started getting used to seeing the old man coming into the diner every day and heading for the same booth. His order would also always be exactly the same. He stayed for an hour, slowly eating his sandwich and staring at the opposite side of the booth as if there was something there. Nobody could understand what he was doing. Inspecting The Place Pexels It almost seemed as if the man was inspecting the diner, and Rico was starting to become very curious about what was going on with the old man and his strange behavior. It seemed to Rico almost like the man was working up the nerve to do something but Rico had no idea what that could be. Needed To Figure It Out Pexels Rico knew that he needed to come up with a plan to find out what the man was doing. He was concerned that his community might be in danger. The man continued with the same routine of coming in every day, sitting in the same place, ordering the same thing and talking to nobody. Rico had to find out what he was up to. Someone Else Was Watching Pexels As Rico went about his daily duties, he started noticing that he was not the only one watching the strange old man. Rico feared that the owner of the second pair of eyes watching the old man wouldn’t be as patient as he had been. He felt that there was a confrontation coming and he had to do something to stop it. His Boss Pexels Rico was so preoccupied with the old man he didn’t even notice that someone else was watching him. He was so jittery he jumped when that person put a hand on his shoulder. He relaxed when he recognized the person as his manager. However, what the manager would say to him next made him feel jumpy again. A Warning Pexels "Look, Rico. Be careful. I've seen him before; he comes into the diner once a year for a few weeks and then disappears again", the manager told him with a somber look on his face. He told Rico that the old man had never done anything untoward, but that there was clearly something up with him. He wanted Rico to handle the old man with care and compassion. Shocked Pexels Rico was shocked that his manager seemed to want him to ignore the man’s strange behavior and the possible dangers he might represent to the community. The manager could only understand Rico’s fear after he had checked the security footage and saw with his own eyes what was happening. He also grew concerned after seeing the man’s behavior on the footage. Something New Pexels Rico became more and more anxious and he new he had to take action, despite his manager’s warning. But what could he do? He was cleaning a table next to the old man when he heard the man mumble something disturbing under his breath. When he said the man say, “I’m sorry” and “forgive me”, he knew that he would have to take action. The Time Had Come Pexels Rico decided that the time had come for him to face the problem head-on. He walked up to the old man and asked whether he was enjoying his meal. Predictably, he was ignored. That’s when he saw something shiny under the table. He bent down to take a closer look and froze in his tracks when he saw what it was. A Firearm Pexels Rico only needed to take one look to know what it was. The old man was carrying a gun. It was too late though. The old man saw that Rico had seen and, for the first time, he spoke to Rico. "Sit down, would you?”, he asked Rico. Rico felt trapped and had to sit down. Once he was seated, the man told him everything. No Point Pexels He told Rico how lonely he had been since his wife died, and that there didn’t seem to be much point to anything anymore. He said that he wanted to do one last thing and reached for his waist. Rico panicked, thinking that this moment could be his last. He didn’t want to go out this way! Luckily, the manager had been watching the CCTV cameras. Attempt To Take Action Pexels The manager ran towards the two men with a phone in his hand. There wasn’t much else he could do to help Rico. Rico closed his eyes and prepared for the worst. The old man stared at him intensely, still reaching for his waist, and Rico thought it was the end of him. Then the old man said, “Here you go”, and Rico opened his eyes. The Best Tip Ever Pexels There, on the table in front of him, was a big stack of bills. This is not something Rico had expected to see. The old man introduced himself as Clarence and told Rico that the stack of cash on the table was his tip for serving the old man all week. Then he went on to explain his behavior. Difficulty Hearing Pexels Clarence was a World War II veteran and had been hard of hearing since a bomb exploded next to him during the war. Since the war, he always carried his lucky pistol with him. Then he went on to explain why he kept coming back to the diner. "I come here every year to celebrate my anniversary with my wife. Our first date was on this bench in this bar”. Rico was touched by the man’s sweet, romantic explanation. In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblances to actual events, places, or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.

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