The Tip He Didn’t Earn (A Mama Kat Writing Prompt)

This week, www.random.org handed me Mama Kat prompt number 3, a lie you told.
My inherent skepticism about whether customer service personnel will go out of their way on my behalf has cost me time, energy, and money over the years.

For example, my mother in law (who is blind) and I were at a department store here in Tallahassee many years ago. We were waiting for a haircut at the store’s salon. My mother in law said, “I need a half slip. Will you please see if they will find me one to purchase?” I was hesitant to ask, but lo and behold (back in the days of Tallahassee Gayfers), the moment I told a staff person what we needed, she brought Barb a selection of slips, helped her choose, and completed the transaction without either of us having to lift a finger. It was part of their philosophy to help blind people that way.

That same skepticism reared its head once when my boss and I were traveling together. The Orlando Airport Hyatt is attached to the airport. We arrived and went straight to a meeting or for some other reason did not pick our luggage up right away. When Rose said, “have them go down to baggage claim and pick up my luggage,” I thought “why would the Hyatt go all that way to retrieve her luggage?” At this point I took her claim check and headed down to baggage claim myself. Baggage claim was a little reticent to give me her luggage, seeing as how I wasn’t her (or, um, a Hyatt employee like she thought she had sent on the task!). (This was even before 9/11 but those Delta baggage claim people were pretty strict.) Eventually they relented.

As I was approaching her room, I started trying to figure out how to get the luggage to her without admitting I had not trusted the Hyatt process. So I caught a Hyatt employee just steps away from her room and asked him to deliver the baggage, explaining that she would think he had done the whole errand.

Of course she tipped him handsomely for his trouble.

And I was (not) caught (not) holding the bag.

Hope he appreciated that big fat tip for the ten-foot walk down the hall!

Paula Kiger

Wife of one, Mom of two, Friend of many. My pronouns are she/her/hers.