Customer overhears waitress talking about struggling to pay for textbooks — then surprises her with life-changing tip

Kindness approaches a person in need from the most unexpected places. A struggling Kansas waitress experienced similar goodwill when a customer overheard her conversation with her coworker. The woman was talking about how she was struggling to pay for her college textbooks and the customer decided to help. They left a tip that not only helped the woman get textbooks but also made her life a little easier, as per KMBC News.

The waitress, Marlena Hayes, worked at Mimi's Cafe in Overland Park and attended school full-time at Kansas City Kansas Community College. Hayes was serving a mom and her two children on a Tuesday and the woman heard her talking to her coworker. "Now I know I need to work on my indoor voice," the waitress told the outlet. The mom decided to leave a $400 tip so Hayes could pay for her books. She also left a wholesome note along with the payment and the tip. It read, "Good luck with school." The waitress was in disbelief as she had read the note before she found the money. "I didn't believe it right away. I thought maybe she was just messing with me."

"But I fanned it out and there was the money," Hayes recounted. "One of my co-workers was actually holding me because I was shaking. I was just so touched and overwhelmed." The good thing was that the money was not only sufficient for her textbooks but also helped reduce some of her workload. "I was going to have to work seven days a week for the first month or two of the semester. Thanks to her, I actually get two days off a week now where I can be at home studying." Hayes expressed that she went to bed without worrying about money for the first time in two months that night, all thanks to the customer's kindness. The waitress hoped to meet the woman again so she could thank her properly.

"I want her to know that I am really grateful for what she did for me, not just the money, but she has impacted me in such a positive way," Hayes highlighted. "It still feels kind of surreal to me that a stranger would do something that big and I kind of forgot for a little while that people like that still exist. She has inspired me to do what I can for someone else," she added. The woman remembered that she had actually served the mom and her family a few months ago and they were really nice to her back then as well. Hayes was studying respiratory therapy at college. As a token of gratitude, the woman started taking pictures of herself at school to show them to the customer if she visited again. 

In another similar story, singer Post Malone changed the life of a bartender by leaving a huge tip on a $1 bill. The bartender, Renee Brown, was working at a dive bar in Texas on Christmas Eve. The single mom was very disappointed that she had to leave her daughter alone at home that day, but she received a tip that uplifted her spirits. The woman received $20,000 from the singer and it moved her to tears. Brown posted a photo with the singer on Instagram, where she goes by @dazedncnfuzed, and expressed her gratitude out loud.