She had just lost her husband. What she wrote after her meal moved people around the world. In a world that can often feel saturated with cruelty and division, simple acts of kindness can have incredible emotional resonance. The moments when someone chooses empathy can ripple outward, touching lives far beyond the original interaction.
That’s exactly what happened when Megan King, a server at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery in Yankton, South Dakota, shared a moving story on X. During her shift, she had a brief exchange with an older woman that left a lasting impression and, eventually, left social media users in tears.
Speaking to Tyla, King described how the woman had visited the restaurant on a particularly hectic Sunday.
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“This older woman came in on a busy Sunday, and about halfway through her meal, it started to slow down. We chatted for a few minutes. Small talk, nothing too deep.” The woman confided that she hadn’t been out to eat in a long time and mentioned that Perkins had been one of her go-to spots. “She was very low maintenance, and she left just as quietly as came. When it came time to bus her table, I was surprised that she'd left a note," King explained. Next to a modest tip, the woman had left behind a small, folded piece of paper.
What it said: "Thank you very much for your kind service. This was my first time eating out alone since my husband passed. I was hoping I could get through it." That was all it took to completely undo King. “As soon as I read that she'd lost her husband I lost it. I had to use the restroom to get myself together enough to tend to my other tables even though I really didn't have time to take a rest," she recalled.
She posted a photo of herself—smiling, with tear-streaked cheeks—and captioned it simply, "in pain." She added: "This is my real smile because I am very happy and that note did not break my heart at all."
Many people on X were just as moved as King, sharing their own reflections in response. One person wrote, “Always better to just be a good person to other people because you just don't know what they're going through. You were an angel to that woman.”
Another chimed in, “That's the sweetest thing I've seen. thank you so much for being kind.”
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And a third shared: “Wow my eyes filled up a great example of why customer service is so important. You never know how you can change around someone’s whole day.”
King went on to express some lingering regret about the interaction. “I would add that she did seem a bit sad. In retrospect. I wish I would've taken her quiet as an invitation. I think that's what she wanted, looking back. She kept looking up at me so I assumed something wasn't right with her meal or that she needed something, but every time I checked, she said everything was great and she didn't need anything.”
Though she wished she had done more, the note clearly showed the woman felt seen and cared for in a vulnerable moment.
The post quickly took off online, garnering more than 49,000 shares and over 822,000 likes. While most responses were supportive, some questioned King’s reaction, asking whether she was crying due to a small tip. King responded to Newsweek, clarifying, “A lot of our customers are older and living on fixed incomes, so they tip what they can. They are always welcome, no matter how much or little they tip.” And regarding the woman who left the note, King said her gesture was deeply appreciated: “more than enough,” she said. “But I wouldn’t have cared if it had been smaller.”
Sometimes, the simplest exchanges say the most. A quiet meal, a kind word, and a handwritten note were enough to create a memory neither of them will likely forget.
This article originally appeared last year.
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Comment from RedditReddit | 
Ketel Marte was brought to tears during an MLB game after facing a shameful fan taunt.
Baseball manager's poignant support for a player brought to tears after shameful fan taunt
Whether they’re expecting perfection from their favorite players or, worse, behaving callously toward opposing teams, sports fans often forget that athletes are human beings. But athletic competition has the ability to unify and uplift, even amid such painful and unpleasant encounters. Take, for example, a major-league baseball game held June 24, 2025 between the home team Chicago White Sox and visiting Arizona Diamondbacks.
A shameful low point occurred when Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte was at bat in the seventh inning. Per ESPN, a fan reportedly yelled out a comment regarding Marte’s late mother, Elpidia Valdez, who died in a 2017 car accident in the Dominican Republic. Team personnel, including manager Torey Lovullo, then requested the 22-year-old fan be ejected. (Though he was remorseful and admitted his actions were inappropriate, according to an ESPN source, he was nonetheless banned indefinitely from all MLB ballparks.) "We commend the White Sox for taking immediate action in removing the fan," the MLB said in a statement. Marte reportedly declined to comment.
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While the fan’s behavior is inexcusable, it did spark a powerful and inspiring moment. After hearing the comment, Marte was visibly upset, prompting Lovullo to walk on the field, put his arm around him, and offer some words of encouragement. "[I said,] 'I love you, and I’m with you, and we’re all together, and you’re not alone,'" Lovullo said in a post-game interview, as documented by The Rich Eisen Show. "'No matter what happens, no matter what was said or what you’re heard, that guy is an idiot.’"
According to Arizona Republic, Lovullo heard the fan’s comment but didn’t want to repeat it. “I looked right at [Marte] when I heard,” he said. “I looked right at him, and he looked at the person, as well. He put his head down and I could tell it had an immediate impact on him, for sure."
Elsewhere in the post-game interview, the manager called the moment "terrible" and reflected on why he stood up for Marte. "Fans are nasty, and fans go too far sometimes," he said. "I love my players, and I’m gonna protect them…I’ve known Ketel for nine years. He’s had some unbelievably great moments and some hardships as well and some really tough moments in his life. I know those. At the end of the day, we’re human beings, and we have emotions. I saw him hurting, and I wanted to protect him."
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The following day, the Chicago White Sox X account sent out a message in support of Marte, writing, "We’re with you" and "Baseball is family." On The Rich Eisen Show, the show's host addressed the need to eradicate this kind of toxic athlete-fan interaction: "I was hearing [people saying], 'There’s no place for this in major league baseball.' There isn’t. There’s no place for this in our society. I understand that people are saying the MLB has got to do something about this. Fans have a right to heckle players—this is something that has happened forever…But there is a line."
In another recent, depressing sports moment with a beautiful coda, let’s look to Game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and the eventual champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder. During the first quarter, Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton tore his right Achilles tendon—a devastating injury that could potentially sideline him for most of the 2025-2026 season. Following the game, in a lovely display of sportsmanship, Thunder point-guard and league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went to the Pacers locker room to check on his competitor. In a press conference, he said, "You just hate to see it, in sports in general. But in this moment, my heart dropped for him. I can't imagine playing the biggest game of my life and something like that happening. It’s so unfortunate."
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