Wednesday, November 29, 2006

The best tip I've ever received.

As all my faithful readers (all three of you) are aware, at the moment I work at a clinic inside a casino on the strip.

Last Friday, shortly before closing, this tiny old lady walked in and toddled up to the reception desk, where basically I'd been twiddling my thumbs since we'd been slow all day.

She asked me sweetly how much it would cost to see the doctor to get her blood pressure checked.

I assured her that I could check her blood pressure for free, and that she didn't need to see the doctor if she didn't want to.

So I took her into the back, waited while she undid layers and layers of clothing (old lady, remember?), put all her various and sundry shopping bags and purses on the chair in the exam room, and got situated on the table.

Her pressure was great and she was ecstatic. After putting all those layers of clothes back on, she started rummaging in her purse for a bit. I was wondering what was going on, then she turned back towards me with three crisp, new one dollar bills in her hand, stating she wanted to give me something for my trouble!

This is not as strange as you might think, it is Vegas, after all, and I've been offered plenty of tips.

After I refused the money many times, she said to me, "Well, you can take a hug, right?"

Then she gave me the best hug, EVAR. She was so tiny, maybe five feet tall, if she stretched, and the hug really reminded me of the hugs I used to get from my Oma, my German Grandma.

The lady squished me, and even rocked me back and forth a little.

I have to admit that I got a little choked up, and I'm not ashamed about it, either.

And that's the best tip I've ever received.

7 comments:

Dick said...

Hugs are priceless, aren't they?
Thanks for making me smile.
All is not lost after all.

Anonymous said...

Mom war ungefähr 5 ft. hoch, wenn ich mich richtig erinnere. Obgleich ich wirklich keine Gedächtnisse des Erhaltens einer Umarmung wie das habe.

Dein Grosser Bruder

Christina RN LMT said...

Dick, there is hope out there!

Unfortunately, the media reports the worst of the worst, because that's what people seem to want.

That's why I don't watch television...life's too short!

Grosser Bruder, Oma gave the BEST hugs!
Too bad you don't remember, but I did spend a lot of time with her when I lived in Berlin, while you were already grown and gone.
That's probably why.

Jake Silver said...

Wow. That's pretty cool, and it made a great post.

Sonja said...

Awwww! That IS an excellent tip. Kinda reminds me of my little 1st graders last year, some of whom would give me hugs before going to recess. *sigh* I miss those little guys.

phlegmfatale said...

That is just the BEST story - the little old lady and the hug. Kind of brings a little warmth to my bitter dried-up old heart! :)

Mauser*Girl said...

That's really sweet. :)