Restaurant Manager Kicks Out Old Woman, Regrets It Later

Getting Revenge 

In what had been supposed to be a peaceful last meal, Ruth found herself in the middle of a nightmare that forced her to take action. In spite of her age, the 79-year-old widow didn’t take revenge lightly. However, he had gone too far.

A couple of months ago, she made a simple mistake and the new manager refused to let her serve.

As a result, he would have to bear the brunt of her wrath.

Their Home 

Throughout her life, Ruth and her husband, Tony, had lived in Arkansas.

In addition to growing up there and going to school there, their dear friend Walter was also there.

There was no way they were going to leave the place they called home. The diner down the road became their favorite place when Walter opened it.

They Loved That Diner 

As a result, the diner became the location for every event they attended, and over the years, it became the repository of a lifetime’s memories.

There were so many occasions they celebrated there that Walter put up a picture board with photos of each.

A whole wall was devoted to it.

Since The Beginning 

There was a picture of the diner’s opening day on that wall. The man of the hour was congratulated by Ruth and Tony front and center while they hugged him.

As a result, they would visit at least once a week from then on. For special occasions, twice.

The whole diner had been booked for celebrations several times.

It Was Special 

All birthdays, Christmases, and New Year’s Eve were celebrated with them. Every year, the anniversary made it to the wall.

Their long life together was honored in this beautiful display, and it was on display for all to see.

From their first anniversary at age 20 to their last…

Tragedy 

Both Ruth and Walter were celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary on the day that changed their lives. The 25th of February 2019 was Ruth and Tony’s anniversary.

Several days later, tragedy struck.

Despite being rushed to the hospital, Tony had already died. The doctors were powerless to save him after he went into cardiac arrest.

A Dark Time  

Ruth stopped going to the diner after that. In Walter’s last encounter with her, he could tell that the loss of her husband had a profound impact on her.

His understanding was that Ruth was suffering so much that she refused to speak to anyone.

Considering the way things were going, she was barely eating anymore.

No Sign Of Ruth 

Ruth was still absent weeks after the tragic passing, which was odd.

Walter thought she would find comfort in coming to the diner every week.

She seemed to see things differently. Did she find it difficult to cope with the memories?

They Missed Her 

Walter began to become concerned. As far as Ruth was concerned, locking her up in her house would not be of any benefit to her.

It was still far too early for her to give up, and if she did, she would give up on everything she was trying to achieve.

Her friendly smile was also missed by him and his staff.

Opening Up 

In order to find out how his friend was doing, he called her one evening.

It was the first time she had opened up to him and shared what was on her mind.

Due to his long-time friendship with Tony, he asked Ruth if she would mind coming by. There was no guarantee, but he had hope.

She Had Agreed

Ruth agreed and went to the diner. To Walter’s surprise, she didn’t seem to be upset when looking at the photo wall. Instead, it seemed like it offered her a sense of relief.

This confused Walter since he thought she’d stayed away because of it.

He asked her what was going on, and what Ruth said shocked him to the core.

Startling Revelation

Ruth revealed that she had visited the doctor a little while after Tony died, and he told her that she had leukemia.

It had already progressed so far that they couldn’t treat it if they wanted to.

She was so shocked by what she had heard that she needed some time to find her feet again. That was why she didn’t go to the diner for so long.

Time Was Of The Essence

Walter was devastated by the news, but he would do anything to make his friend feel better, so he asked her how much time she had left.

Sadly, the answer wasn’t what he was hoping for.

“6 months to a year,” Ruth whispered as she pushed her cup around between her hands. The information left Walter in a state of shock. He never expected it to be that soon.

Promises

Walter took Ruth’s hand and swore that he would stand by her side throughout this process.

He promised to be there whenever she needed him and to arrange whatever she might need.

Ruth thanked him for his kind words and left. So Walter didn’t really know if she took them to heart or not. Would she return?

Returning To Normal

A couple of days later, Ruth was back. She was sitting in her usual seat and sipping on her tea as she watched the commotion that was going on outside.

Seeing her there was a relief, especially when she came back the next week. It looked like everything was going back to normal.

But was it really, or was it just a temporary thing?

Fateful Day

It seemed like things had gone to their usual flow. But when Ruth came in one morning, she seemed distracted and easily startled.

She ordered her tea and looked out the window, but something was different about her. It was like she was lost in her own thoughts.

It was so bad that when Ruth got up and left, she forgot something that would cost her dearly.

Unpaid Bill

That day, Ruth was so distracted that she completely forgot to pay her bill.

The waiter had gone to Walter and asked him what to do about it since Ruth was long gone by the time he got to her table.

Walter asked about the situation, and the waiter explained what he saw. Walter was concerned by what he had heard and asked for the bill.

Forgiving The Mistake

When he looked down, Walter saw that Ruth had only ordered her tea. Since a pot of tea didn’t cost as much, and he knew what Ruth was going through, he just voided the bill.

In his eyes, it was a small, forgivable mistake that he knew wouldn’t happen again.

The waiter was happy with the decision and decided to pin the receipt onto the photo wall along with the rest of the memories.

No Sign Of Her Return

After that, things took a turn for the worst. Ruth disappeared once more, and Walter wondered if all this might have something to do with her condition.

At first, he decided to wait things out and see if she would return. But two weeks later, he knew the time had come for him to act.

But what could he do?

An Offer

He took a couple of days to think about it, and then Walter came up with the perfect idea.

He sent Ruth a letter stating that the restaurant wanted to give her a free meal to thank her for her patronage.

Walter was sure it would work. But he was completely unaware of what he would see when Ruth stepped through the door.

Frail And Weak

Ruth came in the following day, and what Walter saw crushed him. She was no longer the vibrant, energetic woman he used to know.

She was frail and weak. And even though she was trying to hide it, Walter could tell that she was slowly falling apart.

But Ruth was a strong woman, and she didn’t let her suffering affect her kindness.

It Was Catching Up

After a lengthy conversation, Ruth finally admitted that she was at the point of no return. Over the last few months, things have gotten a lot worse.

She spent most of her time being stuck in bed or visiting doctors, and that was starting to take a toll on her.

She honestly didn’t think she had much time left.

Less Frequent

At that point, Walter understood why Ruth’s visits became less frequent, and he wasn’t planning on pushing her to change. She needed to rest and find the strength she needed to keep fighting.

So even though her visits went from once a week to once every three or four weeks, he knew everything was okay.

That allowed him to focus his attention on another pressing matter.

A Choice To Make

Walter wasn’t that young anymore, and with everything that Ruth had been going through recently got him thinking. Was he getting too old to keep running the restaurant on his own?

The truth was that he was exhausted, and he would’ve loved to have some time for himself.

But was employing a manager really the right thing to do?

Long Process

It was a tough decision, but after a few days of thinking it through, Walter had made up his mind. He posted an advertisement and started interviewing potential employees.

The process was long and grueling. It was so bad that Walter wondered if he would ever find the right person for the job.

But then someone showed up, and he fit the bill perfectly.

He Seemed Perfect

James had over five years of experience as a restaurant manager. He was young, bubbly, and very enthusiastic. It looked like he was just the man Walter needed, so he hired him on the spot.

But James would show his true colors soon enough. And once he did, the damage would be irreparable.

What James did was completely unforgivable.

Drastic Changes

On his first day at work, James decided to lay down the law. He wanted to turn the place into a high-class establishment, which meant that friendliness went right out the window.

There would be no conversations with customers. No laughing at jokes.

And nobody was allowed to spend more than a couple of minutes at any given table.

The Reaction

Needless to say, the staff was furious. The place was doing well long before James, and his rules showed up.

And the waiters were sure it would do the same long after he was gone.

None of them agreed with the new policy, and they voiced their concerns. But Walter wanted to see if James’ way would work.

Unhappy Staff, Unhappy Customers

Even though Walter tried to reassure the staff members that everything was okay, their attitude toward the rules didn’t change. But they did follow them, and with that, they managed to prove their point.

Because they weren’t friendly anymore, the customers stopped tipping, and many of them stopped coming altogether.

It was a disaster, and the consequences would prove to be even worse.

Losing His Regulars

Walter’s Diner was losing one regular after another, and the reason for that was abundantly clear. They had gotten used to the service and the atmosphere. And now that it was gone, so were they.

That was when the severity of the matter really started setting in.

Walter would have to make a choice about this behavior, and he was already leaning in a certain direction.

Had He Made The Right Choice?

Walter had seen the effect James’ management skills had on his business, and he was starting to doubt the decision.

When he thought about hiring, it was to take his place, not ruin his business.

But that was exactly what was happening. And Walter couldn’t help but wonder if it was the man or the idea in general.

Eating At Him

Walter approached his staff, including James, and told them to keep operating as they did before James arrived.

He was effectively throwing the rules out of the window, and James wasn’t pleased.

But the whole situation was eating at Walter, and he needed to end it before it was too late. So when James gave him an ultimatum, he gave one right back.

So Many Complaints

James told Walter that if he couldn’t have his way, he would quit. So Walter pulled out the facts. Over the few months that James had been there, ten staff members had filed complaints against him.

And they weren’t the only ones.

Multiple customers had also sent emails complaining about the new management system and the rules that were put in place.

Becoming Less Successful

Plus, the restaurant’s turnover was slowly dropping, with each month being worse than the last. It had gotten to the point where Walter was in debt because they weren’t making enough income to cover their costs.

After that, Walter turned to James and told him that if he wanted to keep his job, he needed to bring the turnover back to the point it was before.

And he had two months to do it.

One Fateful Day

About two days after Walter spoke with James, disaster struck. Ruth had come into the restaurant early that evening, and she took her usual seat.

The waiter greeted her and asked how she was doing. Then out of nowhere, James intervened.

He cut the conversation short by calling the waiter over, and the two of them got into a heated argument.

As Per Usual

After bringing his point across, the waiter walked away from James and returned to Ruth to take her order.

Ruth ordered her usual and looked out the window as she always did.

But after a moment of silence, she got up and walked over to the wall of memories. That was when she heard something she shouldn’t have.

Something Stood Out

The waiter was arguing with James once more. The first time it happened, Ruth had no idea it was because of her, but this time she did.

The waiter had told James who she was and told him that he would treat her as he always did.

If James didn’t like it, he could fire him.

The Introduction

Ruth was incredibly confused by what she heard, but things were about to get worse. James walked up to her and introduced himself, stating that he had heard so much about her.

But he clearly had no idea who he was dealing with. If he did, he wouldn’t be playing that dumb game.

Ruth had seen a lot in her life, and she knew a facade when she saw one.

Not So Friendly

When Ruth called James out on his act, his smile faded, and his friendly attitude changed. That was when the truth was revealed in front of everyone.

James pointed at the receipt on the wall and said, “we don’t serve non-paying customers at this establishment. Pay your bill or get out.”

Everyone around them gasped in shock.

Staying Calm

But Ruth wasn’t phased. Walter had already told her about her little slip-up, and she tried to rectify the situation right away.

But Walter told her that it had been taken care of and that they had put the receipt on the wall to serve as a memory of her time with them.

So she stayed as calm as she possibly could and met James head-on.

Refusing Service

Ruth told James that she didn’t have to explain her actions to a man like him. And that was when things exploded.

James was so furious that he refused to let anyone serve Ruth. He even went as far as to throw her meal in the trash.

And then he did something he never should’ve done. He told her to leave.

Massive Complaint

With pain in her eyes, Ruth sat down and scribbled something down on a piece of paper before grabbing her purse.

She walked out without saying anything, but everyone could see how hurt she was.

After she left, a waiter went to her table and found the note. It was so crushing that they felt they needed to act. They went to Walter and laid a massive complaint.

Her Last Words

Walter looked down at the note with tears in his eyes. It was directed at him, and he felt incredibly bad that things had to end the way they did.

Ruth said that she was in her final days and that she wanted to experience the restaurant one last time.

But that was taken away from her by some man who didn’t even know who she was.

He Couldn’t Believe It

Walter couldn’t believe that he had let things go this far. He couldn’t believe that his oldest friend got hurt because he wanted some time off.

But the thing that put the nail in the coffin was how James reacted to the situation. He knew that bill had been settled, and he still used it against Ruth.

Then he went as far as to say that he needed customers to pay if he wanted to increase the turnover.

Fired!

The more Walter heard him speak, the angrier he got. He couldn’t believe the man had the audacity to try to turn this around so he would look like the hero in the story.

But James went on and on about how he was right to do what he did.

That was until Walter slammed his fist into the desk and shouted, “You’re fired!”

Trying To Get Hold Of Her

After James stormed out of his office, Walter picked up his phone and tried to call Ruth. He tried both her landline and her cell, but both went unanswered.

The suspense was driving him mad. He needed to talk to her. He needed to apologize for what James had done.

But she wasn’t giving him a chance to do it.

Days Without Answer

Walter tried calling Ruth at least twice a day. But over a week had passed, and she didn’t pick up a single one of his calls.

At that point, he was starting to get very concerned, and he even considered going to her house to check on her.

But before he did that, he decided to try her cell phone one last time.

Finally

This time she answered. Walter let out a sigh of relief and started explaining what had happened that night. But Ruth didn’t seem to care.

For the first time in thirty years, she seemed distant, and Walter thought he knew why that was.

So he asked her about her health. What he heard forced him to act.

A Sad Discussion

Ruth told Walter that she had come to the diner that night because she would be hospitalized the next morning.

All she wanted was to try his famous salmon one last time. But thanks to James, she never got the chance to do so.

She had been in the hospital ever since, and to that day, she regretted missing her meal.

The Last Goodbye

Walter couldn’t believe what he was hearing. And as soon as he put down the phone, he ordered the kitchen to make the meal Ruth had spoken about.

When it was ready, he got into his car and sped to the hospital. He sat with Ruth that entire night.

They spoke about anything and everything. And in the end, they said their final goodbyes.

Less Than A Week Later

Three days later, Ruth passed away, and Walter was by her side when she did. He had been by her side every day until the end, and he still couldn’t believe that she was gone.

But it was her final words that hurt him the most. “You must let that man go. He’s ruining everything you’ve built,” she said.

Walter tried to tell her that he already did, but it was too late.

Everyone Was Gathered

The following Saturday, Walter and all the waiters were at Ruth’s funeral. And when it was over, they all returned to the restaurant to mourn their loss. But Ruth had one last surprise in store for them.

As they spoke about her life, a woman with a briefcase arrived at the restaurant. They told her they were closed for the day, but she informed them that she wasn’t there to eat.

She was Ruth’s lawyer.

One Deal-Breaking Question

They immediately made a seat available to her and asked her if everything was okay. That was when the lawyer told them that Ruth had left a gift for each of them.

But before she read the will, she needed to find out if a man named James was still employed at the restaurant.

As the will would be banished if he was.

The Truth

Walter got up and told the lawyer the whole story of James and his involvement in the restaurant. He made it clear that James was dismissed the day Ruth was kicked out and that he had not returned since.

Walter also stated that he wouldn’t be hiring a new manager, as he didn’t want to go through the same problems again.

When the time came for him to retire, he’d pick one of the waiters to take over.

Her Will

With a warm smile, the lawyer pulled a stack of papers and a cheque book from her briefcase.

Everyone was surprised by the sight, but it was what she said that left them dumbfounded.

“Ruth was worth 400 million dollars at the time of her death, and she wanted that money to be split among the ten of you.”

Very Generous Offer

Walter was speechless. He and every single member of his staff were worth approximately $40 million, thanks to Ruth.

He was happy for them, but he also knew what that meant.

With so much money, they no longer needed the money they made from the restaurant. They could live the lives of their dreams, and so could he.

Yet Another Surprise

But one of the waiters, Paul, was looking down at his cheque, and he didn’t seem happy. “I think I’d like to invest a part of this money into the restaurant,” he whispered.

“Yeah, I’d like to do the same,” Tasha said. And pretty soon, every single one of the waiters offered to do the same.

They wanted to stay and help Ruth’s memory live on.

Total Overhaul

After that, they closed the restaurant down for a few months to do a total overhaul on it.

All the walls were repainted, and the tables and chairs were replaced along with the name. 

But two things remained the same. The wall of memories, even though it was emptier than it used to be. And Ruth’s table at the window.

Six More Stores

What happened to the rest of the pictures? They were spread across the six new stores Walter and the team opened across the state. 

Every single one of the stores had a wall of memories, and in each of them, the window seat had a reserved sign.

It was Ruth’s spot, and that would never change.

Ruth’s Corner

As a final tribute to the precious woman who held a place in each of their hearts, the team named their stores ‘Ruth’s Corner.’

It has always been her place, and it will continue to be her place, no matter what. The team would ensure that Ruth’s treasured memories lived on for generations to come.

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 or places or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.