“Jessie, since you’re the new girl around here, you’ll have to work at table 13,” her coworker, Mark, told her as she put on her apron for her first day as a restaurant waitress.

However, as Jessie approached table 13, she noticed an older man slouching in his chair and gazing at the menu.

“He’s just an old man,” Jessie said, puzzled. “What’s wrong with him?”

“Oh, honey. He’s terrible. So get ready. No one here likes to serve him,” Mark replied.

“I can handle anything,” Jessie continued, confident.

But she was wrong to dismiss Mark’s words out of hand. The man at the table, Mr. Nolan, was a difficult client.

“Who are you?” he asked when she approached with a smile.

“I’m Jessie, what are you having today?” she replied while maintaining a smile.

“I always drink the same thing, and you guys ask me all the time. Iced tea. But not too cold and not too sweet. Two lemon wedges and a straw,” the man muttered almost angrily.

“Not yet. Go away and get me my iced tea!” she demanded.

Jessie’s eyebrows rose in shock, but she walked away and ordered the iced tea. Despite placing a relatively simple order, the man complained. At first, it was too sweet, then too cold. The lemon slices didn’t have enough juice. His straw was flimsy because it was now paper.

“We only have paper drinking straws now,” Jessie said, trying not to lose her temper over the fourth glass she had prepared.

“What a frail, stupid generation. Okay, I’ll have lasagna,” the man said and threw the menu at her chest.

Jessie had a perpetual grin on her face. She wasn’t about to let him ruin her first day. However, the lasagna was riddled with defects.

In fact, his order took so long that she had to serve another six families before he was finished. At the very least, he left a tip.

“I should have listened,” Jessie admitted at the end of the day to Mark.

“Yeah. We apologize. But someone needs to look after him,” he joked.

Jessie, on the other hand, would not let a client bring her down. She was doing it for the sake of her children. She had five children at home, and her husband worked long hours to support them. But that wasn’t enough, so she went back to work, hoping to do better for them. Fortunately, her mother offered to assist her in caring for her younger children while she worked.

Jessie, on the other hand, returned home fatigued at night and spent hardly any time with her boys. As she fell asleep, she promised herself that she would do better the next day and play with her children.

Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Because every day was more complicated and difficult with her grumpy customer. Waitressing was harder now than when she was younger, but at least the tips were good.

For years, she waited on grumpy old Mr. Nolan and had a way with him that impressed the rest of the staff.

He was more patient and even learned a little about her life. He was like a child during a tantrum most of the time, but at times, he was almost pleasant and would ask her about her life. And no matter how much he complained, he always left a 15% tip, so at least that was nice.

However, one day there was no money on the table. Normally, he would pay and leave a few extra bills, but that day Jessie found a key and a note.

“Dear Jessie, thank you for putting up with this grumpy old man for so long. I’m going to a special hospice now, so I won’t be coming back. This is the key to my house. It’s yours. I’ll leave you my lawyer’s card so you can settle everything officially. Goodbye, my dear. P.S. My tea was too sweet, but I didn’t complain. See? It’s my time,” Jessie read aloud and was stunned.

She couldn’t believe it. He had left his key, his home address, and his lawyer’s card so she could contact him. But that was impossible. Why would he leave his house to a complete stranger, Jessie wondered. I know he has a family.

So she contacted the lawyer and asked him about that hospice so she could visit him and get some answers. Once there, she saw how thin Mr. Nolan had gotten. She hadn’t noticed it so well in the restaurant, but it was obvious.

The grumpy old man repeated to her what he had written in the note and told her it was real.

“However, why?” “How about your kids?” Jessie inquired.

“My children despise me. I haven’t seen or heard from them in a long time. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a jerk to everyone in my life, and the only person who ever treated me with kindness was you. So you should keep that house for your large family. It’s enormous. It’s designed for individuals like you who are patient with old things,” she explained, as Jessie fell into tears.

She had no idea when she began to like Mr. Nolan’s company, but the prospect of never seeing him again was too much for her. Or maybe she just despised the fact that he was dying alone. So, Jessie took her children to meet him that weekend, and for the first time in years, the elderly guy smiled. That was worth a thousand compliments.

Mr. Nolan died a few weeks later, and Jessie became the legal owner of the house. His lawyer stated that his family did not desire anything, therefore his entire estate was transferred to her. Apart from the gorgeous mansion, there wasn’t much more, yet it was a big deal for her enormous family.

Her children were overjoyed since they now had their own rooms, and Jessie and her husband had received promotions at work, which meant their financial condition had improved slightly. They had a lot to be thankful for, so they volunteered at a senior care center as much as they could in Mr. Nolan’s honor.

And Jessie always paid attention to the elders with the worst attitudes. She knew they were grumpy for a reason, and they reminded her of the man who changed her life.