Benefiting from Another's Good Deed

When my husband got promoted at work, he earned two stripes on his sleeve.

You see -- in the world of CO's, rank is similar, though not as in-depth, as in the military. Sgt's. Capt's. Lt's. And with each position or new rank, you get chevrons, badges, etc for your uniform to set you apart from the other CO's. 

Although my husband didn't technically pick up rank, in so many words, his new position gains him much more responsibility. In his words, "its like being a Sgt for the Transportation Squad/Crew". 

So the other day, I had to take his new uniforms across town to have his stripes sewn on the sleeves. He had already called ahead to the uniform store, who told him it would be no problem and that it was a quick job, so they could do it while I waited with the kids. 

And they weren't lying. 

The seamstress was on her break when we got there, and the shop owner promptly made us aware. But also said that she was wrapping it up and it would just be a few minutes. 

Kids being kids, they ran around and found a bench to climb and sit on, a mirror to stare at themselves in, and uniformed mannequins to "talk" to and hide behind. Within five minutes, the shirt was back out in my hands and we were ready to go. 

I pulled out my wallet to pay, when the gentleman told me I was set to go. Not understanding, or not really paying as much attention -- since I was distracted by my rambunctious one year old causing trouble, I asked what the damage was. 

He replied "Nothing. You owe me nothing! Have a wonderful day!" 

I was pleasantly shocked. It was such a nice thing to do. Granted, one little stitch isn't an expensive job, but he didn't have to do it for nothing! 

It just proves that there are still some people out there willing to do good deeds. It's the little things. 

And who knows ... maybe he just recognized that holding a child on my hip while digging around for a wallet, pulling out a card one handed and signing a receipt would be a little difficult, and he wanted to spare me the trouble. 

Either way, the store will continue to get my future business.