Who Could She Blame?
After logging into her bank account, she glanced at her balance, but she couldn't help covering her mouth with her hand. How could she have done that? The waitress was the only person she could point a finger at.
Is she really the victim of a fast one by the waitress? Jenna couldn't think of anything else. Ohio was a better community than this one, she thought. The extent of the conspiracy, however, was unknown to her.
Doing Her Best
It was the dinner she had taken her children to that brought her mind back to the dinner she had taken them to. Is the waitress really having other plans than sitting down and having a family meal?
The unfortunate reality of living a modest life prevented them from going out to eat very often. Her children's expenses took up nearly all of her money. All she wanted was for them to be happy.
A Surprise
Jenna got a surprise one day she could not believe it. A performance bonus had been awarded to her by her boss. She finally saw the results of her hard work. Mostly, she put the money in her savings, but she used a portion to do something nice for herself.
She wanted to take her children to a restaurant. They didn't get to do it very often. To make things easier for them, she took them to a familiar place.
Taking Them Out
They patiently waited inside the restaurant entrance until someone showed them to their table. The kids were just as excited as ever, but Jenna was unaware of what was going on.
There was a waitress who was young and beautiful, but something wasn't right. She looked upset about something.
Excitement
There was an air of attitude about the waitress. Was she unhappy with the tip she received from the table? However, Jenna didn't realize that the truth would soon reveal itself. They were then shown to their seats.
Their family was told they would be served shortly, but they were just glad to be there. It wasn't often that they ate out.
Acting Differently
They browsed the extensive menu and selected their food. Soon after, their waitress appeared to serve them. Her behavior caught Jenna's attention.
The waitress was the same as before. They were treated with kindness, however. With her kids, she shared a bit about herself and laughed with them. It caught Jenna off guard.
Opening Up
During her conversation with the family, Macy explained her situation. As a single mother, she worked as a waitress to fund her studies. Jenna felt bad for her when she heard the sad story. They all smiled as Macy took their orders.
She returned moments later with their food in lightning speed. Jenna was already convinced that Macy was getting a good tip - it was amazing.
Wandering Mind
The altercation at the other table could not escape Jenna's mind. It was Macy who asked her why she felt upset earlier. A frown appeared on the waitress' face as she replied that she had not been tipped.
The reason Jenna couldn't understand was beyond her comprehension. There was no better waitress than Macy. Her children were entertained with coloring books, and she came back every five minutes just in case. Her sinister intentions were hidden from her, but she had no idea what they were.
Something Sweet
She offered dessert to the kids after dinner. Jenna obliged them and knew Macy would take care of them. She left her eldest daughter in charge while she went to the bathroom. She heard something upsetting at that point.
She was being talked about by someone in the stall next to her. "Overtalkative mother and her three little brats." She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
Unbelievable
The only person who could have done it was Jenna. Three kids had not been brought into the restaurant by anyone else. Although she wanted to cry, she was stronger than that. Shrugging it off was the best course of action.
After finishing her business, she returned to the table where her kids were seated. All of them caught her attention. In no way were they brats.
Sneaking Suspicion
Jenna sat in quiet silence as she tried to put her finger on what was bothering her. Did she know the woman in the bathroom? She didn't see her, but her voice felt familiar. She watched the bathroom door, hoping to see who walked out, but wished she didn't.
Jenna watched as two women came out at the same time. Surprisingly, one was Macy, but there was no way that was her. The other girl, who was still on the phone, was someone who had been sitting a couple of tables down from her.
Culprit
Since she was still on the phone, Jenna presumed it was her. She scoffed at her as she left the restaurant. Jenna knew people could surprise you, but she was about to learn just how much people can deceive you.
Jenna was woken from her reverie by the smell of delicious warm chocolate and coffee. Macy had arrived with their dessert just in time for a perk-me-up after her bathroom incident.
Good Dessert
Macy said that she asked the chef to add extra chocolate powder on top and told them to enjoy it. It was probably one of the best desserts Jenna had ever tasted. She didn't remember this restaurant being this good. As she finished, she told herself she'd have to come back. But she'd never set foot in this restaurant again.
After Jenna and her kids finished their desserts, Jenna asked for the bill. Jenna put on everyone's jackets and took a moment to take pictures of their outing. Who knows when they could do this again?
Asking For The Bill
Although money was tight for Jenna, she was adamant about helping Macy out with a generous tip. But once she learned the truth, she was going to seriously regret doing this.
Jenna paid for her meal and left a $10 tip using her credit card. As she swiped it through the card machine, she saw a smirk creep across Macy's face.
A Smirk
"That's for taking such good care of us this evening," Jenna said. "I hope to see you around again." Macy thanked her as she continued to smirk. Jenna felt glad she made Macy smile, but that wasn't what Macy was smiling about.
After her card payment had gone through successfully, Macy handed Jenna back her credit card, but she had ripped the customer's receipt. Laughing at her clumsiness, she apologized to Jenna.
Payment Successful
While crumbling up the receipt, she asked Jenna if she really needed it. Jenna laughed along and told her it was fine to toss and not to worry about it. As they parted ways, Jenna noted an odd, excited gleam in Macy's eyes. If only she knew then what she knew now.
As Jenna and her kids walked away, Jenna couldn't help but notice that Macy's big, warm smile now looked a little eerie and creepy. It was still bright as she made her way to her car.
Creepy Smile
Before driving home, she took a moment to savor the memory of the rare and beautiful, much-needed meal with her kids. But the next day, Jenna was going to wake up to a horrible surprise.
The following day, Jenna woke up ready for a day of relaxing. A day of Sunday chill, if you will! She had a few errands to run, but she was going to be chillin' like a villain at home.
The Day After
One errand she could take care of right on the couch, however, was paying the electricity bill, so she checked her bank account and prepared to make a transfer. At first, nothing seemed amiss, but then she looked closer.
At first, she went straight to making payments, so she didn't even realize something on her account was wrong. But as soon as she checked her statements, she gasped out in horror. Was this some kind of joke?
Double-Checking
Alarmed and thinking it might be a fault with her device, she logged out and logged back in again. She held her breath as she hoped her eyes had played tricks on her, but they didn't. What was wrong?
Jenna looked at her diminished account, horrified to see that she had money missing from her bank. She took a closer look and realized that the missing amount was from the restaurant she went to the day before.
Money Missing
She thought back to the total amount she saw on the receipt before paying, and wondered if it could have been a simple mistake. But Jenna wasn't a fool, and she knew how waitress systems worked. This was no accident.
Now, everything started to add up; Why she was so friendly, it threw her off guard. Why was she flustered when Jenna admitted she saw her reaction about the previous bill, and most importantly, why did she put the customer copy receipt in the bin?
Piecing Together
It was just too obvious. It must have all been planned. Suddenly, she thought back to the woman in the bathroom. Could that have been her? Was that familiar voice she heard hers? Jenna felt completely duped.
She remembered Marcella's creepy smile and gleam in her eye as she paid. It was so subtle, but Jenna couldn't stop thinking about it. She knew exactly what she was doing.
All Planned
Was everything she told her all a lie? That's why Jenna tipped her so generously. But it obviously wasn't enough for her. Although she didn't have her own customer receipt, Jenna was sure she knew the total amount. But what she saw in front of her, wasn't it. She had well and truly conned.
Jenna was 100% positive that the total meal cost came to $45.50, and then she tipped the waitress $10, bringing the total amount to $55.50.
Ripped Off
But that wasn't the total Jenna saw on her bank account and statement. No, what she saw in her bank account was much, much more. She had to do something about this.
The total charge on Jenna's bank account was not $55.50 but instead $65.50. The waitress had completely ripped her off, even after she had tipped generously.
Disgusted
Jenna wasn't going to stand for this. She posted the incident online but felt that it wasn't enough. Not even close. Full of anger and betrayal, she went back to the restaurant, ready for a showdown. Jenna barged through the doors.
She had a bone to pick. One she felt was too important not to say anything. The host greeted Jenna with a smile, asking her if she could help her. Jenna demanded to see her manager immediately. The hostess was firm and asked if she could help.
Calling The Manager
This only made Jenna angry as she said, "Ma'am, with all due respect, you can't help me with this issue, so please let me speak to your manager." But things were about to go from bad to worse. The manager soon approached Jenna, asking her if everything was okay. Calmly, she asked if Macy was working today.
The manager replied that she wasn't but told her that she could help with anything she needed. "I was hoping to say this to you with Macy here to demand an explanation, but I guess I'll just tell you," Jenna said and continued to tell her what happened. Jenna told the manager what her suspicions were about Marcella.
Speaking Out
As Jenna talked, the manager listened, but Jenna could see that she didn't believe her. Jenna had to prove it. She demanded to see the receipt. However, the manager refused to show it because she had trashed it and ripped it up. But Jenna kept pushing until finally, the manager gave in.
She opened the case of the merchant's copy receipts and found her receipt from the day before. Jenna couldn't believe it as she saw a $20 tip instead of the $10 tip she offered. But that wasn't all. Jenna's Jaw dropped as she looked at her signature and realized it had been forged.
Jaw-Dropping
How could she think she'd get away with this? Or, most unnervingly, she was probably so confident because she knew she could. If she had done this before, Jenna was going to find out. Jenna raised her voice incredulously as she exclaimed to the manager that that wasn't her signature. The manager grabbed a pen and paper and asked her to prove it.
More customers watched as Jenna caused quite a stir! She happily grabbed the piece of paper and pen from the manager and showed her the difference. Jenna's signature on the receipt was nothing like her own, which meant that the waitress had forged it!
Request To Fire
The manager apologized but was still adamant that there must be some misunderstanding. Jenna agreed to let her deal with the situation privately and secretly hoped she was wrong and that there was some crazy big misunderstanding.
She wondered if Macy was speaking the truth at all about her son and college. The look on the manager's face seemed to indicate a lot of confusion when she mentioned it earlier. The manager asked Jenna for her contact details and said that she'd call her with an update as soon as this was all sorted out. But it was as Jenna feared.
More Than Meets The Eye
The following day, the manager called Jenna to let her know that she would be getting a refund of her extra $10 tip. She also admitted that she looked into Macy's background more and found out that there was a lot more to Macy than meets the eye.
Macy had indeed made up her back story to gain compassion and, in turn, the generous tip off Jenna. She didn't have a son, and she wasn't in college. But she did recently move to town.
Con Artist
It also turns out that this wasn't the first time she was fired from a restaurant for conning customers. The manager told Jenna that Macy was fired and that she should expect her refund within two weeks.
Jenna learned the hard way to not be so trusting towards perfect strangers. Ultimately, she was just thankful she spotted it in time and could prove her case. She was also relieved that no one else would be scammed by her. Not in that restaurant, anyway.