A $1,000 Tip

Translated by Chana Cohen

 

 

An elderly woman was sitting in a cafe enjoying her meal. Suddenly, she noticed a waitress who appeared to be in the advanced stages of pregnancy. “Isn’t it difficult for you to be working so hard during the end of your pregnancy?” she asked the waitress with concern.

 

“I have no choice; someone has to pay the bills. My husband works very hard as a mechanic, but there just isn’t enough work these days,” the waitress responded politely.

 

The elderly woman’s heart constricted. “What’s your name, dear?” she asked the waitress.

 

“My name is Rachel Ben Simchon,” said the waitress.

 

“Well, my name is Esther, and this is your tip.”

 

Rachel stared at the pile of bills in shock. “But there’s $1,000 here! This is really too much!”

 

“What’s too much is that you’re working so hard so close to your due date!” Esther replied to the stunned waitress.

 

“But why?” pressed Rachel.

 

Esther replied with a smile, “You remind me of my daughter.”

 

On Esther’s way home, her car broke down on the side of the road. It was already quite late and her phone was dead. She berated herself for not charging it before she left, and for never bothering to buy a car charger. She sat in the car, petrified that some shady character would show up, and began to cry.

 

Suddenly, a car pulled over and a man came out. He looked dirty, tired, and poor. He tapped politely on the window and motioned that he wanted to help out, and she should open the hood.

 

“What a fool I am,” Esther thought to herself. “Why did I give all of my cash to the waitress? He’s for sure going to try and squeeze every penny out of me…”

 

To her amazement, the young man raised the hood, worked his magic, and the engine immediately sprang back to life.

 

“How much do I owe you?” Esther asked fearfully after opening a tiny crack in the car window.

 

“You remind me of my mother, may she rest in peace,” the young man replied. “I can only imagine what would’ve happened to her if she ever got stuck at the side of the road at this time of night with all of the shady characters around here… Nope, I won’t take a penny from you…”

 

The kindness of the young man amazed Esther. She asked him what his name was.

 

“My name is Avi,” he replied. “Avi Ben Simchon.”

 

Esther burst into tears. She realized that he was the waitress’s husband.

“What happened?” Avi asked in concern.

 

“My father of blessed memory always told me that we eventually get back whatever we give in this world. When I was a young girl I disregarded it, but as I got older and less sarcastic, I realized how right he was.”

 

Half an hour later, Avi Ben Simchon the mechanic returned home and realized how right Esther was when his wife told him about an older woman who resembled his mother, who had left her a $1,000 tip.

 

 

* * *

What you give is what you get! Don’t take this precious gift for granted. Even if at first we don’t see the fruits of our labor, the time to reap the rewards will not be long in coming.