LITTLETON, Colo – Claudia Rivers waits outside the Wendy’s restaurant Wednesday morning on Broadway in Littleton.
“He should be here soon,” Rivers said as she walks into the restaurant.
Holding a balloon and a card with a bow, she takes an available seat in the restaurant without ordering.
The Wendy’s manager tells Rivers that the employee she is waiting for usually comes in right on time.
Rivers is wanting to hand this employee a "thank you" note for helping her when he didn’t have to.
“I was getting lunch for my 11-year-old son yesterday,” Rivers said. “We were in the drive through and things can just be so hectic sometimes. After ordering my food I reached back to grab my wallet and realized my wallet wasn’t in my purse.”
Rivers said after finding out her wallet wasn’t in her purse, she tried to cancel her order.
The employee, named Nicole Wilde told her it was okay and proceeded to pay for her food.
“It was about $10, but it’s nothing he had to take care (of),” Rivers said. “He told ‘it’s okay, everybody’s got to eat, don’t worry about it.’”
Wilde paid for Rivers food with his own money, and Rivers said he taught her son a valuable lesson.
“Just to be kind to strangers, and he was,” Rivers said.
Which is why Rivers is surprising Wilde, because it meant the world to her that he was so selfless.
“It’s his hard earned money,” Rivers said. “Everyone there works so hard, and they treat strangers with such kindness.”
Rivers went up to the cash register and found Wilde and gave him a card to return the favor.
“I wasn’t expecting this at all,” Wilde said. “It’s just something I thought ‘why not, I have extra cash right now,’ Which sometimes I don’t. But if I can help somebody, I’m going to.”
