I woke up late this morning, rolled slowly out of the king-sized bed in my 4th-floor hotel room, and took my time getting ready for the day.

It was a slow stroll down to the restaurant for the breakfast buffet, which I was looking forward to eating before heading over to the hospital to spend the day with my husband. Last time I stayed at this hotel, breakfast was included. This time, after I finished eating, I was handed a bill for $20. Really?! $20 for powdered eggs and burnt French toast? I guess it was because the bacon was so delicious! (It really was.) Anyway, I explained to the server that I thought breakfast was included with the room. He said it would be fine to go talk with the people at the hotel front desk. I said I would do that and return to let him know what they said.

The woman at the front desk was not having any of the explanation about my confusion. She said if I was not given a breakfast voucher, then breakfast was not included. I told her my husband was in the hospital after a surgical procedure and would probably be there for a few days. She looked at the computer and said, “I see you have booked the room for four days.” I affirmed, feeling like she might allow the breakfast after all. Instead, she looked at me and said, while pointing toward the front doors, “There is a bakery down at the end of the road.”

I was shocked! Not at the fact she did not want to give me even one voucher for today’s breakfast, but that she was so cold-hearted about it. Whoa! Steel bars around that heart. 😉 Maybe she was just having a bad day. Now I was, too.

So, I returned to the restaurant and found the server I had spoken to before I went to see “Ms. Steel Heart” at the front desk. I apologized to the server while handing him the bill and my credit card and explained that, apparently, I had misunderstood. Breakfast was not included. He looked at me, smiled, and nodded. Then he handed my card back and said, “I think I have an extra voucher back there.” I told him thank you, but it was ok to run the card. He gently pushed the card back to me, patted my shoulder, and said, “No, this one is on me.” I nearly cried because of his kindness. Maybe he was just having a good day. Now I was, too.