Introduction: I was away from home as part of my military duties. It was very early on a Sunday morning. I am an early riser normally but this morning I was up especially early (sleeplessness is one of my battles; many military folks will understand). I waited until the breakfast places near my location opened up. I had a long day ahead and skipping breakfast would be unwise.
Finally the lights began to come on in the fast food joints in the area. My choices were limited but I chose a local Burger King to enter for a sausage biscuit and cup of coffee. I could see one of the girls inside unlock the door, so I exited my car and walked in the BK.
I ordered a sausage biscuit and cup of coffee. I waited. A man I’d noticed outside before I entered walked into BK. He was carrying a white plastic bag with one item inside.
“Excuse me, sir. I have something.”
He retrieved from the white plastic bag a box of golf balls. “Sir, I’m homeless. But could you use these?”
“I’m a full-time soldier,” I said. “Not much time for golf.”
“Well, how about a meal?” he asked.
All of the old conflicts came to my mind. Those golf balls are probably stolen. This guy could just be sorry–too lazy. He looks healthy, so why doesn’t he just get a job? On and on my thoughts ran.
But when he asked for food, the decision seemed to’ve been made inside me.
“Sure,” I said, “breakfast.”
“Thank you, sir.”
He walked up to the counter and ordered a #1 Breakfast Meal. I stepped up and paid.
“Thank you, sir,” he said. And he extended his hand to shake mine. “And thank you for serving our nation.”
People say that a lot and I do appreciate it, but it can come across as perfunctory, as just something people say when they don’t know what to say. But I received it as what he had to give–a polite remark and show of gratitude for his breakfast. His food appeared on a plastic brown tray by the cashier’s register.
We both ate our respective breakfasts and drank our coffee. I walked back out to my car and went to duty.
As I circled the parking lot to pull back onto the main highway, the man was sipping his coffee and picking at his biscuit, the white plastic bag of golf balls still at his side.
