NathanFeel-Good News For Other People
It was not long before the media people wanted more information about the incident. And, soon, a number of online outlets had covered Welling and Sofia’s experience. People clearly connected to such a story that involved kindness and selflessness.
Tracking Down The Waitress
It created such a buzz that CBS Pittsburgh reporter tracked down the waitress who had served Sofia’s birthday party that night. Samantha Powell was the waitress that night, she explained that she was delighted to have delivered Welling the good news. “I was almost in tears,” she admitted. “It touches me, too.”
Samantha’s Response
“They were just so surprised,” she observed. “They were like, ‘Oh my god. Who? Who?’ and they were looking around and wanted to know who it was, but I would not tell them. He approached me to tell me to give him the check for that table.”
The Previous Time
She was not revealing the stranger’s identity. She did say that it was not the first time this had happened. Around six months prior to Sofia’s birthday party, Darla Pepper-Miller had also been dining at Applebee’s. Even then, she joined a group celebrating a birthday, who after coming to pay for the food was told that someone had taken care of it.
Just Gratitude
Pepper-Miller said as she told her about her feeling that time, explaining that is was “just gratitude.” She continued, “Because of everything going on in the world and so much turmoil and protests and hatred, it’s good to know that there are people that care about each other.”
Secret Identities
Turns out, the patrons had been frequent Applebee’s visitors. In fact, the couple had dined at the restaurant for years and picked up a stranger’s bill two or three times a month. Even though the staff was well ware of who these people were, they took part in concealing them.