A guy was about to propose to his girlfriend when he felt something get slipped into his pocket — it was a note from the waiter, but what did it say and why the subterfuge?
Roy was at his peak. The 24-year-old man, who had a lot of love for computers and digital tech, was a software developer who earned a lot of money for his products.
He was a pro at what he did, and his job gave him autonomy over how he spent his time. As a result, he was genuinely contented with his lot in life.
He had a girlfriend named Karen, whom he met more than six months ago. She was a beautiful woman with lush curves and ivory skin who also appeared to be smitten with him as much as he was with her.
Roy cared for himself, his woman, and his parents, who lived together under his roof. His folks liked Karen, and the feeling was mutual.
They had such a good relationship that the woman was more than happy to support and lend help whenever Roy was at work. Both his parents had arthritis, and some activities were beyond them, so Karen would often help.
Roy loved that she did that for his parents, and after a while, the smitten man started to consider her as a choice for marriage, and his parents were all for it.
“Took you long enough,” his mother, Lana, told him when he revealed his desire to marry Karen to her.
“You won’t get any objections here son,” his father said too, happy his son had finally found his soul mate.
Galvanized by their words, Roy decided to move forward with his plan. One day he went out and got a unique wedding band he knew Karen would like.
“I’m going to do this,” he said to himself, trying to suit his frazzled nerves as he dialed her number.
“Hey love,” he said after she picked up. “I know this is out of the blue, but would you care to join me at Alberto’s?”
It was their favorite restaurant — the very same place they both met for the first time. “Of course, I’m famished!” she exclaimed in her breathy voice he had come to love so much.
While they had dinner in the restaurant, Roy noticed that a new waiter was working there. The man seemed to be staring at them when they entered, and he continued to the whole evening.
Later on, the waiter brought them two glasses of wine. As he placed the tray on the table, Roy’s name was called by a security agent. “Hello sir, your car was just evacuated for improper parking,” he said.
Roy quickly ran outside, but his car was still there — it was a prank. When he returned to his seat, the same new waiter walked by and accidentally dropped the tray on the floor near Roy’s leg.
It made a clatter, but nobody noticed over the din of quiet conversation and gentle music. As the waiter bent to pick it up, he carefully slipped a piece of paper in Roy’s pocket and looked into his eyes.
Roy was unsure of what was happening, but he understood that the man was trying to be discrete, so he played along and quietly opened the note under the table.
It contained a simple message — “Don’t drink the wine! The police are on their way!”
Roy was befuddled. What’s going on? he wondered as he tried to keep his composure.
After 5 minutes, the police arrived, and Karen was arrested. Roy still didn’t understand what was happening until the waiter shouted, “Hurry, go home!”
Accompanied by the police, Roy hurriedly drove to his home, and when they arrived, they found a man running out of the house with a bag. It turns out that the guy was Karen’s husband. They had been married for four years and were engaged in robberies.
Roy was happy that his parents had been away at the movies, so they were out of harm’s way. He returned to the restaurant later on, where he was able to speak to the waiter who saved him.
The man told Roy that he had moved to town from a city 150 miles away and that he had also been a waiter back there.
One year ago, Karen had swindled a rich man by putting sleeping pills in his wine while her man robbed his house. She got away with it at the time, but fortunately, the waiter recognized her immediately and started thinking of how to help Roy.
“I could not let her get away with it again,” he said.
Roy thanked the man for his kindness and rewarded him with a large sum of money, saying he saved him. Meanwhile, Karen and her husband were taken to court and sentenced to jail time for their deeds.
Roy later visited her in jail to tell her about how much she hurt him, but she showed no remorse. Instead, the woman only laughed at him. But Roy did not mind. He knew that she had lost her gamble.
“I hope one day you realize what it means to be betrayed by a loved one,” he said as he left her laughing manically.