He was dining alone when a stranger picked up the check and left a note — 5 years later, he hopes she’ll see his response

Random acts of kindness often stay with people for years, and this one incident from March 6, 2021, is proof of it. Paris Coffee, a coffee shop in Texas, shared a post on their Facebook page, asking their followers to help Michael, one of their beloved customers, find "an angel" who showed him an unexpected kindness while he was dining at Applebee's five years ago. The post included three photos of handwritten notes — one from the stranger, a response letter, and a post-it note from Michael — shared on April 17, 2026.

Passing on a kind gesture

Michael received a note while dining at Applebee's all by himself. The note mentioned that his bill was paid for because she noticed he was eating all alone. The woman hoped her gesture would make him smile and let him know that kindness still exists. She mentioned seeing him pray and wished she still had her faith. She lost it when her husband passed away seven years ago.

The reason she paid for his meal was that a stranger paid for hers the first time she stepped out to eat alone at a restaurant. She wanted to do the same for Michael, even though she did not know the reason why he was eating all alone. She ended her note saying that she would pray for him.

A response, 5 years later

It took Michael five years to respond to the stranger's note. "I apologize for taking so long to convey my gratitude to you. I have no excuse. Please forgive me," he said. Michael expressed that she had touched his heart that day. He also shared that his wife, Evelyn, met with an accident on December 26, 2020, and was left a limited quadriplegic. He wrote, "Loss is something no words can explain, and no feeling can contain. Something you experience. Something that will always be a part of you." 

Evelyn passed away on September 8, 2025, and now, he wants to repay the stranger's kindness if she lets him, to honor Evelyn. He left her a few instructions on how to find him, just in case she wishes to, and closed the note with, "I hope this finds you well. Happy and loved. You are, and continue to be, often in my thoughts and ever in my prayers."

Would you be randomly kind to a stranger?

A recent Gallup survey found that young adults are not very comfortable showing acts of kindness to people they don't know. On the other hand, the majority of senior citizens found it much easier to be kind to a stranger. The report showed 64% of Americans aged 65 and older are comfortable initiating kind acts to a stranger. However, only 35% of Americans aged 18 to 29 are comfortable doing the same. While Michael and the woman's ages are unknown, their interaction is a reminder that a small act of kindness can have a great impact on one's life.

People sent their best wishes to Michael, hoping he would reunite with the woman who showed him kindness all those years ago. Jake Levi Couch commented, "I am honored to call Michael a friend! He is a great man!" Amanda Gordon Moore wrote, "This made me cry and blessed my heart reading this. I hope this letter finds its way to her. Blessings and prayers for them both."

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