Restaurant’s Pricey Mistake: Veteran Charged $300 for Keeping His Hat On

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Making Them Pay

Pat stared down at the bill in front of him. It was supposed to be a total of fifty dollars. He hadn’t ordered much at all. The struggling veteran just wanted to feed himself, but the faculty had other ideas.

His blood started boiling at the outrageous bill he had been given. But they had underestimated him as a feeble old man.

He was going to make them pay.

Refusing To Pay

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He refused to pay such a huge fee just exercising his rights. So what if he did something against their policy? He was a human being and deserved to be treated better.

No doubt the staff would have been a bit more cautious of the old man if they knew the truth surrounding his past.

Even if he looked unassuming and weak, he was anything but that.

Conceding

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The waitress came back, and Pat stared daggers at her. “What’s this fee for?” He asked, already having an idea. “Sir, you broke our policy and repeatedly ignored our requests. This is the repercussion.”

Pat felt rage course through his body. Then suddenly, he was calm. “Okay, I didn’t count on paying so much. Let me just get some cash from my trunk.

Don’t worry, it’s right by the window. You can watch me.” 

Devious Plan

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The waitress just rolled her eyes, but she didn’t seem to object. He could tell that she just wanted him out of her hair as quickly as possible, even if that meant letting him go to his car.

He smiled and slowly got up before heading for the door. He couldn’t believe they were about to let him make it to his car.

Once he did, they would be the ones begging for his mercy.

Making It To His Car

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Pat walked out of the restaurant and noticed the waitress watching him through the front window. She was making sure he didn’t do anything suspicious.

But that’s exactly what the old man was going to do. He walked over to his trunk and opened it, a grin on his face.

The veteran always made sure to keep the item in his trunk for emergencies like this.

Walking Back In

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The veteran grabbed the duffel bag and stared back at the restaurant. He didn’t want to have to do it, but they left with no choice. He made his way back to the front door and cleared his throat. 

The look of annoyance was wiped off of the waitress’ face.

It had been replaced by fear as he unzipped his duffel bag and pulled out something no one expected.

Patrick Abner

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Patrick Abner felt hard done by even on days when others would have been happy to face the day. He sometimes didn’t understand the point of getting up in the morning. He still felt heartbreak, just as if it happened yesterday.

He had seen a lot of trauma in his life, but one event broke his heart into a million pieces.

He was never able to pick them back up.

A Veteran

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At the age of eighteen, Pat decided to join the U.S. Military and go fight in a foreign land. He was told that what he was doing was protecting his family, but he had no idea how much politics was involved in the Vietnam War.

He was lucky enough to make it through his deployment physically unharmed.

But the horrors of war would never fully leave him.


Moving On

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Pat tried his best to leave his past behind him and met a woman named Joanna after getting home from the war. The two fell in love and even had twins.

It was the happiest day of his life, but he had no idea what was going to happen. He raised the two boys to the best of his ability.

Even though they were twins, the boys had very different personalities.

Derek and John

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Derek and John may have looked the same, but they had different interests. After learning that his father had fought in Vietnam, Derek wanted to do the same. He said that one day, he’d fight for his country.

John, on the other hand, looked more at what his mother was passionate about.

Joanna was a passionate cook who loved spoiling her family with tasty dishes.

Growing Up

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Time flew by, and Pat couldn’t believe that his children had already grown into young adults. John moved out first, finding his passion in hospitality. Derek, on the other hand, stayed for another year before doing the unexpected.

With the war in Iraq in full swing, Derek told his parents that he was going to listen to the call and protect them.

But it wouldn’t end well.

Perspective

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Pat tried to give his son some perspective on war, but with how patriotic he was, there was no stopping him. He couldn’t be hypocritical, either. He let Derek go fight in a foreign land just as he had over twenty years before.

Pat and Joanna worried about him every day, until one day, they got a letter hand-delivered from a soldier.

It was the worst news.

KIA

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Joanna collapsed as Pat took the letter. He read through it and felt as if someone had ripped apart his heart. He had been shot before, and that hurt far less than this.

Their baby boy, Derek, had been killed in action. They would never recover from this.

Pat felt powerless to console his wife as he watched her slip further into depression every day.

Alone

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The married couple grew further apart every day after losing their son. Eventually, Pat understood he couldn’t help his wife, and they ended up getting a divorce. He let Joanna keep the house while he became a wanderer.

Pat was practically alone. He decided to move to New York, but it was no less friendly than where he lived before then. For another twenty years, he roamed around, getting odd jobs to get by. He had lost a lot of things along the way, but he always kept two things dear to him: Derek’s old baseball cap and an old photo of him.

He’d taken both from his room before leaving the house for good. 

A Normal Day

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On a normal day, Pat had heard that a restaurant had recently opened up in New York. He decided to stop by and see how the food was.

Looking at the menu in the window, his belly growled loudly. He walked in and sat down in one of the booths.

The food reminded him of all the delicious meals his wife used to cook, but someone was about to ruin his day.

Being Served

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Suddenly, Pat’s attention was ripped away from the menu as he heard a female voice. “Hello. Can I get you anything to drink?” She sounded mean and unkind. But then Pat lowered the menu so she could see his face.

Her smile immediately dropped. Something was wrong, but how had he offended her?

She was about to tell him.

No Hats

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“Sorry, sir, but you can’t wear a hat inside,” She said in an annoyed tone. He couldn’t believe what she had just said. “Sorry, but I have to keep it on. It was my sons…” But before he could finish explaining, she cut him off: “Well, it doesn’t matter whose it was, that’s our policy.”

Pat decided to stand his ground, “I’m not taking it off, young lady.” He said in a stern voice. The woman scoffed and stormed off.

He thought that was the end of it, but he was mistaken.

An Amazing Meal

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Pat managed to order food from the waitress when she came back and quickly got some amazing-looking food. It tasted just like home and comforted him in ways he hadn’t been in decades.

He nearly cried but kept his composure.

He then asked for the bill, but he was about to see something outrageous.

Supposed To Be Fifty Dollars

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He watched as the waitress walked toward him with the black envelope containing the bill. She had a slight smirk on her face, but he didn’t think much of it until he saw the total. 

Pat stared down at the bill in front of him. He expected it to be no more than fifty dollars, but it was a lot more.

He hadn’t ordered much at all. Why on earth was the bill so high? The situation was about to get a lot worse.

Blindsided 

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Pat tried to swallow the bitter taste in his mouth, but it hardly made a difference. Moisture pinched at the back of his eyes as he locked at the amount. The struggling veteran just wanted to feed himself, but the faculty had other ideas.

Pat felt blindsided. Had he read the menu wrong? But how could two drinks and a meal cost him so much money?

It didn’t make sense. “Tip is not included,” The girl spat, glaring down at him before she turned around and walked off.

She Ignored Him

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Pat tried to call her back, but she ignored him and continued serving her other tables.

What was her problem and what was this about? Was this because of the hat? Was she punishing him for keeping it on?

His blood started boiling. The young woman underestimated him as a feeble old man. He couldn’t let her get away with this. 

Against Their Policy

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He refused to pay such a huge fee for just exercising his rights. So what if he did something against their policy? Nowhere did they state that he would have to pay a fine for wearing a cap.

No doubt the staff would have been a bit more cautious of the old man if they knew the truth surrounding his past. Even if he looked unassuming and weak, he was anything but that.

She was messing with the wrong man, and things were about to get ugly.

A Bad Head Space

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The old man was in a state of shock. They expected him to pay a small fortune. Wasn’t it obvious from the state that he was in that he was a struggling old man? He could barely afford to feed himself cheap meals.

A dark cloud seemed to linger over Pat’s head.

His mood had completely flipped, and he couldn’t remember the last time he felt this angry. If only she had known how much danger she was in.

The Final Push

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The longer he sat there, staring at the piece of paper, the worse it got.

His blood was boiling in his veins, and he saw red. How could she do this to him?

Pat was in a bad headspace and this was not the time to antagonize him. He hadn’t been doing well in recent months, and he was one push away from falling apart and doing something reckless. This was the final push.

Horrible Things

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Pat had done horrible things to people back when he was in the war, and the encounter was bringing back those memories. The waitress was messing with the wrong man. 

If only she had left him to do as he pleased, things wouldn’t have taken such an unexpected and awful turn. Pat was becoming furious.

He needed a moment to calm down, he was about to snap and he knew that it wouldn’t be pretty.

Anger Rising

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Pat felt his anger start to rise, and his old reflexes start to take over. He had to be careful, or his post-traumatic stress would get the better of him – then no one would be safe. He had to keep calm to save everyone.

But the woman kept pushing his buttons as she glared from across the restaurant.

She was going on the attack now that she sensed weakness. But he wouldn’t go down without a fight.

Going On The Attack

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It was clear that the waitress wasn’t happy with him sitting down in her restaurant. She didn’t even seem to want him there at all. 

She didn’t care about his patronage – she just cared about his money.

And now that she demanded he pay an outrageous amount of money, she wasn’t going to back down. 

Pressing Him

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She pressed him for more information like his address and his full name, just “in case” he decided to run. This made him swell with anger even more.

Did he seem like the type to bail? It sounded like she was looking for an excuse to hold something over him.

He wouldn’t give her any information, but that only seemed to anger the woman even more.

Not Taking No For An Answer

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“Sir. It’s part of our policy, and I’m not going to be able to let you leave until either you pay me or give me your details.” The waitress snarkily said.

Pat felt humiliated, but then something rang in his mind. He noticed the way that the woman spoke to him.

It was a strange way of phrasing it as if she was talking about company policy. 

Her Words

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What did she mean by “Pay me?” Surely, she should have said, “settle the bill” or “pay the restaurant.” This was when he started to suspect that the waitress might have had motives of her own.

But since he was mostly just dealing with her, he had no idea how he was going to find out the truth.

He needed to think of a plan.


Getting Her To Leave

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It didn’t matter what kind of plan he came up with if the rude woman was going to stand there, staring at him the entire time. He knew that he would have to come up with a way to get her to leave him alone.

Then, the idea dawned on him.

If his hunch about him was right, then he could manipulate the truth, too.

His Details

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“Fine, you win!” He said with a groan before taking the napkin on the table and a pen out of his pocket. “Here it is. Now you can leave me. I won’t bail.” He had written down a name and an address on the napkin.

Her eyes lit up. It was exactly what she wanted him to do.

But there was a detail that only Pat knew about.

Bending The Truth

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Pat had bent the truth just as he had suspected the woman did. She took the napkin off of the table and scrutinized it. But she had no idea how to verify it or not. It would have to do.

But Pat smiled. He had put the name “Graham” and an address he passed by every day. Neither was actually his, and the waitress would never know.

Now, would she be satisfied enough to leave?

I Thought She Had Won

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The waitress seemed to be celebrating a little prematurely. She had already thought she had won. In her defense, if she actually did have his address, then he would be in trouble.

But the shrewd veteran knew better than to fall for such an old scam. He didn’t trust the waitress for a single second.

He would have to use all of his wits to win this battle.

Satisfied

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Finally, the waitress was satisfied with his information. She walked to the counter to leave it there and walked back. “Now all I need is the money you owe the restaurant, and you’ll be free to go.”

Pat couldn’t believe it. She had tried tricking him. But he knew better than her.

He just had to get her off of his back.

Convincing Her

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“Look, I’m not gonna bolt out of here. I’m old and slow. Just leave me to think about this, and everything will be sorted out,” He said, trying to reason with her. But she had no idea he was lying through his teeth.

She stared at him and finally seemed to lessen her grip on him.

She said, “Fine,” and rudely turned her back on him.

Underestimated

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His eyes didn’t leave the young woman as she walked away with an attitude. She knew what she was doing. She had probably done this to other people before Pat. But it only made him angrier.

She moved on and served other tables, pretending not to notice Pat’s angry eyes following her.

She had no respect for her elders, and he couldn’t let her get away with this. 

Since The War

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That’s when Pat felt something he hadn’t felt in years.

It was the persona he had decades ago that hadn’t seen the light since he started his support groups after the war. It was desperation that made his old self come out.

It was a tiny voice in his head, but he knew it was more volatile than anything else. He had to be careful now.

Moving On

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She moved on and served other tables, pretending not to notice Pat’s angry eyes following her. She had no respect for her elders, and he couldn’t let her get away with this. 

Pat had a burning flame deep inside of him. He secretly vowed to never let her do this to anyone ever again.

But it would be harder said than done.

No Respect

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Pat was furious. If he had known that they would treat him so poorly, he would never have shown up at the restaurant. 

All he wanted was to enjoy a nice meal, but now, he wanted to get her back. He wouldn’t let her get away with this. Especially since she was so rude about it.

And he didn’t even know how much of a scam it really was.

A Ridiculous Amount

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He couldn’t just pay such a ridiculous amount. $300 was enough to buy him food for two or three weeks. How could he spend that on one meal? 

It wasn’t like he went out to those fancy places where steak cost that much. He was into humble living. He had to do something about this.

But what would he do?

Desperation

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That’s when Pat felt something he hadn’t felt in years. It was the persona he had decades ago that hadn’t seen the light since he started his support groups after the war.

It was desperation that made his old self come out. It was a tiny voice in his head, but he knew it was more volatile than anything else.

He had to be careful now.

Not Giving In

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He couldn’t give into the part of him he had tried leaving behind. It was the worse version of Pat that he thought had stayed behind in the war. But when backed into a corner, people are just animals too.

They’ll do anything to get out of a less than desirable situation.

Even if endangers everyone around them.

In His Thoughts

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He sat motionless for a few moments, thinking about what was happening. When he looked up, the waitress was staring from across the restaurant with a wicked smirk on her face. 

The bill had done exactly what she wanted it to. The man was distraught and at a loss for words. But she had no clue that she had just put everyone in harm’s way.

Pat’s mind was racing, thinking about what he would do next. 

The Plan

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As the minutes passed, he finally thought up the perfect plan. The waitress would never see it coming, and when she did, it would be too late. 

He had to perfect plan in mind, and he wasn’t afraid to go through with it. His eyes scanned the restaurant, and eventually, he found her leaning against a wall, chatting to a fellow waitress.

He noticed the way they were laughing and glancing in his direction. Soon, everyone would regret it.

His Reality 

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He waved her over and watched as she walked over with a cocky grin on her face. He was still beyond upset. The girl was disrespectful and awful to the old man. 

She didn’t deserve her job. Although he could’ve asked for the manager and reported her behavior, he was more set on the plan he’d come up with. 

Soon, she would face a sinister reality. 

Anticipation 

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It was clear that the girl had no idea who Pat was. If she had known, she surely wouldn’t have treated him so poorly. She messed with the wrong old man, and he couldn’t wait to see the look on her face when she realized the truth. 

He couldn’t wait to see her beg and cry for forgiveness. She would be crying for mercy, but he wouldn’t give her any.

She had taken it too far. 

A Question 

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The waitress came back, and Pat stared daggers at her. “What’s this fee for?” He asked, already having an idea, but wanting her to say it herself. 

“Sir, you broke our policy and repeatedly ignored our requests. This is the repercussion.” She rolled her eyes.

He was furious, but he knew that he couldn’t make it too obvious, otherwise, his plan would fail. 

Strategic

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Pat felt rage course through his body. He had to suppress it. If he wasn’t careful, the girl would know that something was up. Having been in the war, he knew all about manipulation and playing games strategically. 

This was war, he reminded himself. Then suddenly, he was calm. “Okay, I didn’t count on paying so much. Let me just get some cash from my trunk.

Don’t worry, it’s right by the window.” 

A Change 

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She needed suspicious at first. She noticed the sudden change in his demeanor. A second ago, he was beyond furious, and now, he was neutral, or maybe even a little friendly. 

She didn’t know what he was playing at. “I’m sorry sir, I can’t let you leave until you have paid the bill,” She said, her voice slightly shaky and unsure.

He had to play it cool, he knew that he could make her change her mind.

Convincing Her

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“You can watch me if you’d like. I only have fifty dollars on me. I keep the rest in my car. You can stay right here and watch me while I get it.

That way, I can pay this big bill. Hopefully, we can put this behind us,” He said kindly, too kindly. The waitress didn’t seem too keen on the idea until he added the last sentence.

“The sooner you let me get it, the sooner I can leave.”

Fine

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The waitress just rolled her eyes, but she didn’t seem to object. He could tell that she just wanted him out of her hair as quickly as possible, even if that meant letting him go to his car.

He had to hide the satisfying grin that was threatening to reveal itself across his face as she scoffed, “Fine, but be quick. I don’t have all day to watch you.”

Her tone was rude as ever. 

It Worked

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His plan worked. In just a few minutes, the girl would be on her hands and knees, begging him for forgiveness. He was not going to hold back. Since losing his son, his life had been a mess. He couldn’t take it anymore.

He smiled and slowly got up before heading for the door. He couldn’t believe they were about to let him make it to his car.

Once he did, they would be the ones begging for his mercy.

A Tough Time

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His mind was clouded with thoughts. He thought about his sons and wife. Life was so much simpler when they were all still under the same roof.

He never thought he’d see this day come, but here it was. He had lost everything, and it felt like there was nothing to live for anymore.

He hardly cared about what would happen once he went through with this plan. 

His Trunk

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Pat walked out of the restaurant and noticed the waitress watching him through the front window. She was making sure he didn’t do anything suspicious.

But that’s exactly what the old man was going to do. He walked over to his trunk and opened it, a grin on his face.

The veteran always made sure to keep the item in his trunk for emergencies like this.

Any Other Day

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But when he woke up that morning, he had no idea that he would be using it like this. He never thought he was the type of man to do something like this, But he hadn’t been the same since losing his family. 

That waitress had made a huge mistake messing with him. If it had been any other day, perhaps he wouldn’t have gone through with this.

But he was determined.

Looking For It

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He dug through his trunk, his eyes taking in the mess before him. He stored all of his belongings in his trunk since he didn’t have any other place to store them.

He briefly glanced up, his eyes locking on the girl who was still staring suspiciously. If only she knew what was coming her way, she would run.

He kept digging, and then he saw it. He was ready. 

 Coming Back

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The veteran grabbed the duffel bag and stared back at the restaurant. He didn’t want to have to do it, but they left with no choice.

He made his way back to the front door and cleared his throat. The look of annoyance was wiped off of the waitress’ face.

It had been replaced by fear as he unzipped his duffel bag and pulled out something no one expected.

His Bug-out Bag

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It turned out that it was his bug-out bag. He kept everything important to him. The waitress saw stacks of cash inside, but that’s not what he pulled out. What he grabbed was an old Polaroid.

“Do you know who this is?” He said with tears streaming down his face. It was a photo of a young man smiling at the camera. “This is my son, Derek, and he died fighting for this country. If he had survived, would you have treated him as badly as you are to me?”

But he wasn’t finished.

His Cap

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“And this hat. This is his hat. It’s the only piece of him I have left, and that’s why I’m not taking it off for you or anyone!” He finally finished his emotional rant, seeing the scene he’d created.

The waitress stared at him before saying, “I’m getting the owner before running into the back.” Pat sat down and smiled.

He was in on some info that the waitress lacked.

Owner Comes Out

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The owner, head cook, and manager came out. But it was one man who held all of those titles in this humble diner restaurant. He cooked with a passion and finally managed to open his restaurant after twenty years of trying.

“There he is!” The waitress said as she pointed at the ragged man in the corner. “He’s been disrupting the customers.”

But she had no idea what was about to happen.

Dad?

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As soon as the owner saw Pat, something stirred inside of him. He stumbled on his words, “D… Dad?” He choked out before rushing towards Pat. The old grizzled man knew about his son’s restaurant and wanted to support him. 

But he hadn’t told his son he was coming. John didn’t even know he lived in the same city as him.

The two embraced each other, but then Pat started telling him what had happened.

No Policy

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“The waitress wanted to charge me $300 for keeping my hat on. That’s an absurd policy.” He told his son. But that’s when John’s eyes grew wide, “What policy? We don’t have one about hats.”

Then John looked back at the waitress, who realized that she was about to get into a lot of trouble.

She had been taken advantage of by customers.

Fired

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After learning that she’d been making up absurd policies to grift feeble-looking customers, John fired her on the spot. He took her apron and watched her head out of his restaurant. He turned back to his father, who’d been lost for decades, wandering without a purpose. 

Then John said something that Pat had only ever dreamed of, “Dad, I had no idea where you’ve been. I know you felt guilty about Derek, but it’s time for you to come home, okay? I have a spare bedroom, and I’d love for you to meet my family.” Pat couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

He cried in his son’s arms. He would never be alone again.

This story was handcrafted with love by a creative novelist to thrill and entertain, mirroring real-life situations to awaken your imagination and evoke profound emotions. All events, places, and characters are products of the author’s imagination, and all images and videos are used for illustrative purposes only. We hope you enjoyed reading it just as much as we enjoyed writing it!