A woman who stole from a restaurant where she worked back in the 1990s has made amends in the most incredible way.
Carlotta Flores, the owner of the Mexican restaurant in Tuscon, Arizona, was perplexed when she received an excited phone call from her son last week, who urged her to come over and pick up an envelope that had been delivered to the business.
Inside was a letter from an anonymous former employee, who confessed that she had stolen cash from the restaurant during her time working as a waitress while attending the University of Arizona.
“I hadn’t stolen a dime before then, nor have I since,” the letter read. “Thankfully, I was a terrible waitress and you all fired me before it could amount to more than a few hundred dollars total. It’s been 20 years, but I still carry great remorse. I am very sorry that I stole from you. Please accept my apology + this money as a repayment + 20 years of interest.”
Enclosed was $1,000 in cash.
The unnamed woman openly explained her wrongdoing, insisting her decision to was “stupid.”
“One of the waiters I worked with had encouraged me to ‘forget’ to ring in a few drinks a shift and pocket the cash. And for some stupid reason, I did it,” wrote the woman, who signed the letter, “A thankful former employee.”
The letter, which was posted on Facebook by one of the owner’s sons, noted, “I grew up in the Church, I knew better. I hadn’t stolen a dime before then, nor have I since.”
Since the story broke, El Charro has attracted some serious press attention. The eatery, which serves Northern Mexico-Sonoran style food, has reportedly been open since 1922 — making it the oldest Mexican restaurant in the country owned and run by one single family.
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“I don’t know where she’s at, who she is, but I will tell you one thing, I hope that she’s read or has seen what an impact this has made, not only on me, my family, my business, but where it will go in the future,” Flores told KVOA-TV. “Some of my managers read the letter and they actually had tears in their eyes.”
The owner added that the letter came, coincidentally, at a time when she was frustrated by those who steal.
“I had my purse stolen [this week],” she said, so “this sort of renewed the faith that we have a lot of good people out there.”
(H/T: The Washington Post)