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VIRAL: Waitress grateful for prayer, generous tip

By Angela Chen
Published  December 7, 2015 9:54pm CST
News
FOX 26 Houston

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THE WOODLANDS (FOX 26) - Before 19-year-old Paige Valles started work at Chili’s in the Woodlands on Saturday, she sat in her car and cried.

“It was going to be a really rough day for me. I already kind of knew it,” said Valles.

A family member had cancer, and she was nervous about the treatment. She said she tried her best to hide her emotion as she served a table where a couple was seated.

“I'd been crying in my car so when i came in, I hugged a friend. I was trying to wipe the makeup away so when I walked over to them, I was still wiping my eyes, and they could tell my cheeks were really red,” said Valles.

This mystery couple asked her how she was, and Paige couldn't hold back. She told them why her day wasn't going so well. Before they left, Paige said the couple tried to ease her pain.

“I asked if they wanted a drink to go or anything like that, any desserts, and they were like, ‘No, but can we ask something of you?’ and I said, ‘Well, sure.’ They were like, ‘Can we pray for you?’ and I sat down and started crying,” said Valles.

It wasn't until later that she noticed the whopping tip.

“Fifty dollars on a 25 dollar tab -- that's a lot of money, and we printed it out like five times to make sure it was real. It was insane,” said Valles.

“It's incredible because we have people come in here all the time, and they  just want to get their food and get out of here. And to have somebody that really took the time to speak with Paige and pray with Paige and really get to know Paige and her heart…it was just incredible,” said Kelsey Evans, Valles’ friend and fellow server at Chili’s.

Valles said it's not so much about the money but as it is about the kindness of strangers.

“It gave me so much hope and faith -- I can't even begin to describe it,” said Valles.

Valles said the couple slipped out before she could even thank them, but because of how popular her story has gotten, she has been able to find the couple.

As of Monday night, she has reached out to them and is waiting for a response.