07/11/2025
WARMING YOUR HEART đ NO ONE FROM HER FAMILY SHOWED UP FOR OUR CAFĂ REGULARâS BIRTHDAY She sat alone at a table decorated with pink streamers and an untouched cake đ. Miss Helen, one of our most loyal customers, was waiting for her family to celebrate her birthday. But no one came. I walked into the cafĂŠ like every morning, greeted by the smell of cinnamon buns and fresh coffee. It was quiet, only a couple tables taken. Then I saw her â sitting by the big round table by the window, the one we saved for special occasions. Her purse sat beside a cake box and a vase of fake daisies. She was all alone. Miss Helen has been coming to our cafĂŠ almost every day for eight years. Iâve seen her bring her grandkids, Aiden and Bella, so many times â loud, messy, full of life. She never minded the chaos. But her daughter? Always in a rush, barely saying hi, just dropping the kids off with a quick âThanks, Mom.â That morning, Miss Helen looked up and gave me a smile that didnât quite reach her eyes. âHappy birthday, Miss Helen,â I said. âThank you, sweetheart. I wasnât sure youâd remember,â she replied softly. âAre you waiting for your family?â She paused, then said quietly, âI invited them. But I guess theyâre busy.â My heart sank. I told her I was sorry, and she just shook her head. âItâs all right,â she said. âTheyâve got lives. The kids have school. Their parents work.â But it didnât feel all right. I walked to the back room, sat down for a moment, then headed straight to the managerâs office. âHey, Sam,â I said. âItâs Miss Helenâs birthday, and sheâs sitting out there alone. Can we maybe sit with her for a little while? It's slow this morning.â He didnât even think about it. âNo. Weâre not a daycare. You sit, youâre fired.â I walked away, stunned. Thatâs when Tyler came in, tying on his apron. He saw my face and asked what was wrong. I told him about Miss Helen. He looked at her, then back at me. âSheâs here every day,â he said. âThat lady probably paid for half this espresso machine.â I told him Sam wouldnât let us sit with her. Tyler just smiled and said, âThen I guess he better fire me.â And thatâs when we decided to do something special... (continue reading in the 1st comment) Ask ChatGPT