I decided to go up to the casino tonight to put $10 in the slot machines as a thank you for letting me stay. Since the day had been so cheap, I decided to check out the restaurant offerings. Everything was either way too expensive or way too fast foodish. The only option left to investigate was the buffet, but at nearly $20 I was convinced I’d be turning around and having dinner at home.
When I got to the entrance, I noticed a woman was standing there glancing at the people coming in. She came over to me and said, “Have you prepaid?” “No…” She then handed me a ticket for the buffet and said, “Pay it forward.” I don’t know if she won a free dinner or what, but wasn’t that nice of her?! I can’t believe I got a free dinner! I had some tasty baked chicken with mashed potatoes, veggies, and salad as a first course, then a couple of pieces of ravioli with some sausage and more salad for a second course. Third course was a small scoop of ice cream and a tiny brownie. Fourth course was half an orange and some honeydew melon. It had been a very, very, very long time since my sushi lunch and I was ravenous, but I don’t think I ate excessively at all. It definitely helped that dinner was free, so I didn’t feel I had to get my money’s worth. 🙂
The lady didn’t let me say much to her beyond thank you, but I was able to confirm that she’s not from Missouri. 🙂
That was very nice of that lady. My own rule is, always pay it forward more than you got. I learned about the Daily Good Turn in Boy Scouts years ago, and in my years of wandering around the Ontario bush, I would sometimes come across an unlocked cabin, miles from nowhere. The law of the land said that you were welcome to use that cabin for a day or two, but you didn’t make any changes to it, of course, except perhaps an obviously badly needed repair. You always replaced more firewood than you used, and if possible, you tried to rotate any food that might be in the cabin. Use an old can of soup, and replace it with a newer one. So unfortunate that kind of attitude is being lost.
I hate to keep tabs on things, but I know I’ve already paid for that dinner at least 10-fold. This really felt like I was being paid forward.
Why, praytell, did you spend years wandering around the Ontario bush? 🙂
“…not from Missouri”.
*snort*
Heehee.
Bob, I knew if I didn’t throw that in someone would say, “See, not all Missourians are horrible people!” 😀
All kidding aside, most folks from Missouri are nice people but they are aggressive drivers.
I have to say that the customer service here is stellar!