A tale of Good Intentions: Mr. Left & Mr. Right

Tonight I met Bryan after work for dinner at Baumhower's.  I arrived early and sat down at a table between two older fellas.  One fella on the right and one fella on the left.  For the ease of this post, I will refer to them as Mr. Left and Mr. Right.  Both of the gentlemen were eating dinner alone, each at their respective tables.  The fella on my left was sitting and reading a book on his kindle, all the while having a beer.  He appeared to be in his 70's, fairly healthy and well kept.  I couldn't help but notice, nestled on the seat beside him was a black cap.  The ball cap was embroidered with US NAVY.  The cap had another insignia-- stars and such that I did not know the significance of.  I decided then that I wanted to buy that guys dinner.  

The fella on my right was also a fella in his 70's.  He finished his dinner and made his way over to the table of the Navy fella.

"Are you a navy guy?" Mr. Left said.

Mr. Right replied "Yes, sir.  Captain"
 
"Really? Me too! What was your MOS?" said Mr. Left.

"Aviation.  I flew F-16's."  Mr. Right replied.

Now, I am literally eavesdropping on their conversation.  I wanted to stop them and give them a big hug.  I wanted to tell them thank you.  I wanted to do SOMETHING for them.  I wanted them to know that the people of my generation have not all forgotten the sacrifice of their service.  I kept to myself while they were talking.

The two continued on in their introduction beyond what I could hear.  In the end, Mr. Right and Mr. Left shook hands and parted ways.

I was even more determined to do something nice for Mr. Left.  So I called my waiter over and quietly told him I wanted to buy the fella's dinner.  He smiled and walked away to get the ticket.
When he returned, on the bill I wrote: " Thank you for your service to our country."   I asked that he gives the note to the fella and that he keeps my identity a secret.

Mr. Left enjoyed his dinner and leisurely had coffee while reading his book.  He eventually asked for his check.  I heard the server give him the note and tell him it had been taken care of.  He looked around and questioned the server who did it.  The server told him that he wasn't sure, that another server had taken the payment.

I could tell that Mr. Left was not too thrilled with the thought of someone doing that for him.  Frustrated that no one would tell him who bought his dinner, Mr. Left shook the servers hand and left the building.  

Our server came by our table later and told us that the fella wasn't too happy about the situation.  In hindsight, I wish I had given him a hug and a smile and told him that it was us.

I ended up feeling a little upset and defeated after he left.  I really just wanted him to know that he was appreciated.

The truth is:  My maternal grandfather was a cook in the Navy during WWII.  Honestly, I don't know that I ever told him how much I appreciated him.  In the days and times we are in, there are so many days, that I wish I could just sit down and talk to him about things.  He always had a way of explaining things.  He was a great teacher.  I miss him.  I wish I could have bought my grandfather dinner tonight.

In the end, I hope that wherever Mr. Left is tonight...... I hope that he knows that a person with a heart full of love and appreciation bought his dinner.  I hope that he knows that all of his service and hard work for our country was not in vain.  

May God continue to bless our service men and women, past and future.