Never Take Anything for Granted

For the past 3 years, I have had a job as a waitress. While working, I have met very many people from different backgrounds and cultures. Most of the customers became my regulars, and when I got a job somewhere else, they came too. I really built close relationships with most of them.

There was a guy who came in with his wife every Monday and Wednesday night. They always sat in my section and gave me a "hard time" while they played silly jokes on me. One time, I served them their food and the man started screaming that there was a spider in his soup, of course there wasn't, but he thought it was funny to see my reaction. Another time, his wife pretended to choke, and when they saw that I was really scared, they told me it was a joke. They always played tricks on me, and for the most part, I enjoyed it. They knew I love chocolate, so every time I had to work a long shift, they would bring me bars of KitKats and Hershey's so that I would be in a good mood. Every time I needed advice from an adult, and I could not go to my parents, they were always next in line. They became such great idols to me, and I appreciated all the love they had shown me. They did not have any children, so to them, I was the daughter they never had.

Days, weeks. months passed since I had not seen my dearest friends. I began to worry. I thought perhaps they began to dislike me, or maybe they did not like the restaurant anymore and they went somewhere else, perhaps they moved and I would never see them again. I began to fear that I had lost them, and that I would never have an opportunity to tell them how much I loved and appreciated them for all that they had done for me.

4 months passed, I was working a Monday night shift. It was a very busy night. I saw so many faces, but it wasn't until later on in the night, that I saw the faces I had missed. But, there seemed to be something wrong. They sat down, and when I went to the table to greet them, they had tears in their eyes. I had never seen them do anything but smile, so I knew this was serious. I gave them each a hug. Then, I asked them what was wrong. He would not respond, he only cried more. Then I turned my head to his wife, searching for an answer. "What is going on?" She closed her eyes, swallowed hard, and proceed to tell me.

Her husband had been a long time smoke. He began to experience many health complications because of it. Later on, doctors soon found cancer in his throat. The only way to keep it from spreading was to move his larynx (voice box).

When he had walked in that night, he had a scarf around his neck. The scarf covered a hole, a hole that I had once seen before.

My grandfather had also been a long time smoker. He was diagnosed with throat cancer as well. When he was given the diagnosis, he was given 5 years do live: he lived for 3o more years. Obviously, he got his larynx removed and since he had no voice box, I never heard my grandfathers voice, and now I am going to live my whole life wishing that I could of had that opportunity. My grandfather was one of the most important people in my life, and what he had gone through because of smoking is my inspiration for not ever wanting to smoke.

When I saw my friends "hole," it brought back many memories of my grandfather. At that moment I began to cry because I began to realize that his voice only be a vivid memory, not anything I could hear. Unlike my grandfather, at least, at some point, I had heard his voice.

At that moment, I began to realize that I should never take anything for granted.