When Rosalynd arrived at the table to clean up and pick up the cheque, she noticed it was covered in words. At first, she thought it was just a careless scribble, until she looked a little closer and it became clear that one of the friends had written a note. As friendly as their interaction had been, it was just a waitress serving customers at the end of the day.
A Personal Message
Rosalynd’s curiosity began to burn as she skimmed over the note. She looked around to see if the men had stuck around, but they were well on their way by that point. Rosalynd picked up the note and started to read. After the first few words, she realized this was a personal message specifically for her, and got her interest in the first few words; “We may come from different cultures and may disagree on certain issues…”
Heartfelt
With each sentence, Rosalynd felt more and more moved by the heartfelt message. The note went on to say “If everyone would share a smile and kindness like your beautiful smile, our country will come together as one people,” Jason wrote. “Not race. Not gender. Just American. God bless!” Rosalynd was at a loss for words. She could never have expected that people so different from her would appreciate her basic courtesies and pleasantries so gratefully.
United by a Smile
Rosalynd was truly touched by Jason’s note. The idea of how far a smile can go really invigorated her positivity. Waitresses will generally have all manner of interactions with people. Some good, some bad, but very rarely will they experience a life-changing moment like this one. But there was so much more to come for Rosalynd, whose experience had just begun. There was so much more amazingness to come! She wasn’t prepared for what came next…
A Huge Tip!
The total cost of the cheque for the three’s lunch came in at $. So Rosalynd was utterly astounded when she saw they had left a tip of a whopping $450! For a waitress any tip above 20% is exciting, but 625% was just unbelievable! As everyone knows, waitresses often do not earn luxurious salaries in any country or state. They work incredibly hard for very little pay, and often have to survive on tips alone.
45th President
Jason said that the $450 tip was a nod to the inauguration of the 45th president of the United States, Trump, as a symbolic gesture that he hoped everyone could move forward together. This tip was so much more than money, it was a way forward for people of all walks of life and political beliefs to finally begin respecting and caring for one another. Of course, there was a lot of work to be done to reach that stage.
A Secret
Jason hadn’t even told his friends what he was doing. This was not some grand scheme that he and his pals had come up with, rather, it was a spontaneous gesture that Jason had thought up after meeting the warm waitress. But he felt so moved by everything that he had seen in Washington 
over the weekend, with both the election of the President and the powerful Women’s March. Two walks of life with one goal.
An Epiphany
Jason remembers looking at all those influential figures on the walls of the Busboys and Poets establishment and thinking about how the inauguration and the Women’s March coincided, and being inspired as for him, these were two examples of people expressing their American values. Suddenly, Jason was thinking in new ways that he had never considered before. It seemed like there was so much for him to learn from the living and departed figures in this world.