A pregnant New Jersey waitress was serving a restaurant as usual when she came across a policeman who was not a regular customer. When he left, she found a touching note on the table and a $100 tip.
The kindness and appreciation of a stranger can change people’s lives for the better, especially at times when they need a little push to keep moving forward.
One mother-to-be was fortunate enough to receive her share of support from a man whose name she did not know, but who made a lasting impression on her.
Courtney English worked as a waitress at the Lamp Post Diner in Clementon, New Jersey. In fact, she had held the position for almost two years.
Although she was used to being constantly on guard, she had been feeling a little sluggish lately. English was pregnant on April 1, 2019, which made childbirth more exhausting than usual .
Luckily, the mum-to-be had wonderful colleagues who made sure she didn’t lift heavy trays. She was even served near the kitchen so that she didn’t have to walk around much with heavy trays. She also had superiors who supported her.
English does her best to greet every customer she meets with a warm smile, despite her state. She has been saving all the money she can to cover the costs of having a baby.
One day a waitress spotted an unfamiliar face among her regular customers. It was a Voorhees County police officer whom she had never served before.
After eating, he went to the counter, paid the bill and left. At the end of her shift, English went to get a tip. It was then that she came across a note written on the officer’s receipt. She said :
“Enjoy the premiere. You’ll never forget it”.
In addition to this incredibly kind and affectionate word, the officer also left her a $100 tip for lunch, which cost less than $9 in total.
English was deeply touched by the gesture of the kind stranger. She described her experience as “wonderful, totally unexpected and sincere”. Furthermore, she added:
“In most cases police officers are seen as terrible people, but they are not, and it just goes to show that a young officer saw a mother-to-be in difficulty and wanted to help her!”
To show the officer’s kindness, English’s father, Brian Cadigan, turned to Facebook and told the whole story in a post that went viral, garnering more than 10,000 likes and 3,6,000 mentions.
Brian Cadigan explained that there is a negative public prejudice against the police, with many people seeing them as inferior and abusing their powers. He went on to talk about all the good things that police officers do that usually go unnoticed. He also stated:
“Most of the good things they do, you will never hear about them, they don’t do it for fame or recognition but because they are good people.” And I wrote this post to highlight one of those things.”
The proud father then told how the policeman had left a generous tip for his pregnant daughter from his hard-earned money.
Addressing him as “Mr Policeman”, Brian Cadigan thanked the officer for lifting his daughter’s spirits and for his great generosity, kindness and the nice note he left behind. He also wrote:
“Thank you, I have always had great respect for officers, but you have gone beyond that, you are not just an officer but a fine man. God bless you.”
The Voorhees County Police Department confirmed that one of its officers left a message for Inglish, who wished to remain anonymous. We are glad English was able to experience such an act of kindness, especially at a time when she needed it most.
