Family feared their celebration was too loud at restaurant — until an elderly couple's response left them speechless
An incident might make a person realize the value of each celebration. A family that was celebrating their mom's birthday had one such realization after they talked to an elderly couple sitting next to them. At first, the group was worried that they were disturbing the couple by being really loud. But once they started talking and heard their story, they had a heartbreaking realization about how the old man and woman really felt about their celebration, per WBSM News. They also ended up giving them a special gift.
A woman, Lindsey Verhaegen, had gone out with her family to a restaurant in Carver to celebrate her mom's birthday. Verhaegen recounted that they walked into the restaurant as a group of 13 people and were seated right next to an elderly couple. She admitted that they could get pretty loud whenever they gathered somewhere. "We were seated right next to an elderly couple and at one point, we thought they were annoyed by us. We were pretty loud," the daughter pointed out. Nonetheless, the family started singing "Happy Birthday" for the mom, Linda Oliver-Chiappini, at one point. But then, instead of being annoyed, the old woman at the table next to them started clapping along with them.
She told the family that it was her husband, Tony's birthday, too. "So my mom grabbed a cupcake, put a candle in it and we lit it. We all sang to Tony. We shared the cake with the wife and they were both so thankful," the daughter shared. The mom told Tony that she hoped that they would meet at the restaurant next year, too. "I don’t think I will make it," Tony remarked. Verhaegen didn't think too much about the comment at first, but after learning Tony's story, she turned into an "emotional mess." However, one of her family members decided to do something kind for the couple and paid for their meal, as well as left a tip for the waitress on their behalf.
The waitress informed Tony and his wife about it and the man started crying after hearing that. The family was stunned by the man's reaction until his wife revealed something as they were about to leave. "As they were leaving, the woman grabbed my mom and pulled her close and said, 'This means more to us than you know. My husband was just diagnosed with cancer,' and explained that he was not doing well." She added, "It’s crazy that we thought they were annoyed by us and the whole time, they were happy to watch us celebrate my mother. This goes to show that you never know what people are going through and always try to be kind."
Verhaegen couldn't help but think about the man and his story even after they went back home. "I went to bed thinking of Tony and my first thoughts this morning at 5 a.m. as I made my coffee were about Tony and his wife. God bless (them)." She also regretted the fact that they forgot to take the couple's contact information to stay in touch with them and hoped that someone could reach out to them and help her send gifts to the couple. "I'm still in tears thinking about this. I was so happy to hear that Tony is having a big party this weekend, surrounded by family. Life is so short and there is still plenty of beauty in people. I still have faith in humans. Tony was so darn cute."