He continued.
“It was one of the worst nights of my life.”
The table went silent.
“My company was close to failing.”
“My marriage was falling apart.”
“My father had just died.”
“I had been sitting at this table for almost two hours.”
Then I remembered.
Not his name.
But the man.
Years earlier, a customer had come in close to closing time.
He barely touched his dinner.
He kept staring at a stack of papers beside his plate.
When I brought the bill, I noticed his hands shaking.
I asked if he was okay.
He said yes.
I knew he wasn’t.
So instead of walking away, I brought him coffee.
Then I sat in the empty chair across from him for a few minutes.
I didn’t give him business advice.
