In the era of globalization and technological innovation, the faith in humanity is always at stake.
But, time and again there are instances, which prove that there still exists kindness and innocence in man, which remain cloaked under the sheath of indifference.
Take the case of Apollo Apollinaire, the owner of Kilimandjaro restaurant for instance. On December 8th, when the three guys fled his restaurant after having dinner, he had little hope of hearing from them ever again. However, after a few days, he received a handwritten apology letter accompanied by the bill paid in full.
The apology note said: ‘we exited Kilimandjaro to embark on a search for an A.T.M machine. On our search, it was apparent that the last train to our hometown was shortly about to depart. This diverted our attention away from finding an A.T.M machine and led to us running to the train station and just making our train. It was at this point, being too late, we realized our actions and decided to write this letter of apology with £40 enclosed in this envelope.’
In the era of plastic cash, it can be frustrating for a person to find out that the restaurant accepts only cash. This must have been the case of the trio, who found themselves in a deadly fix after enjoying their dinner at in Kilimandjaro restaurant in Middlesbrough, England.
They decided to head towards a cash point to withdraw the necessary cash when it occurred to them that the last train home was due to depart. So, rather than locating an ATM, the tourists hurried to catch their train, without paying the bill.
The restaurant owner, Apollo Apollinaire, wasn’t too bothered by the loss, as the bill was moderately expensive. Instead, he took it as a learning experience. ‘I put it down to a bad experience. Usually, people don’t walk out as a whole group for a cash machine,’ said Apollo, during an interview with Gazette Live.
‘I just told my staff to next time make sure one of them stays, or they leave some belongings until they come back. We accepted they would never come back and we had lost the money,’ added the restaurant owner.
However, he received the apology letter, a few days later along with the 40 pounds, which Apollo shared in his Facebook profile and urged people to refrain from judging a person, without knowing their whole story.
The men also apologized for not being physically present and promised to rate this restaurant a five star, with a review on TripAdvisor.
Whether it is the spirit of Christmas or the innocence of the three lads, the incident has undoubtedly restored back Apollo’s faith in humanity, and our as well!