It feels like I somehow absorbed my client’s sadness today.
Just sharing.
There was a client at the bank earlier. There were still quite a lot of people despite the rain. He went straight to my coworker. He said he had an auto loan, but he only handed over his passbook, so my coworker was clueless about what transaction he needed.
She asked him:
Coworker: “Sir, what would you like to do? Are you going to make a payment or a deposit?” while pointing at the passbook
Client: “I only know that I have an auto loan, ma’am. I don’t know how to do it. Maybe you could teach me? I really have no idea what my wife used to do before.”
Coworker: “Maybe it’s enrolled in auto-debit, sir? If it’s on auto-debit, you just need to deposit funds into the account.”
Client: “The thing is, ma’am, our payments are already delayed. It’s been two months. I wasn’t able to take care of it right away because my wife passed away. I don’t know what I should deal with first.”
My coworker couldn’t answer right away because we don’t have access to the loan department, and I think she also didn’t know how to react. I was in the middle of processing something at the time, and I wasn’t even finished yet, but I told her I would handle it instead.
When he handed me his passbook, I checked the name. It was somewhat familiar because someone had been making deposits into that account every month. I figured that person was probably his wife.
He repeated his story to me, so I told him, “It’s okay, sir. Just stay calm. I’ll check it for you.”
He kept apologizing. Aside from there being a lot of people, he genuinely didn’t know what to do. So I reassured him that it was okay and that we would help him through the process.
I explained everything he needed to do—how much he needed to pay in total, when he needed to make the payments, and when he needed to fund his account since it was enrolled in auto-debit.
When everything was done, that was when I finally said, “My condolences, sir. Please stay strong.”
That was when he became a little teary-eyed.
He said losing his wife was so difficult. He didn’t know how to start over or how to move forward, especially because it happened so suddenly. His wife was only 47 years old. She had a heart attack.
I didn’t know what to say, so I just silently prayed for him and for his wife.
Before he left, he asked for my name and told me that, somehow, he felt a little lighter after our conversation. At least one less thing was weighing on his mind.
The client who came after him told me that I was very kind and patient with the previous client.
I just told him, “Being kind is free, sir. It doesn’t cost anything.” :)))
Maybe sometimes, that’s all we can give someone—and sometimes, that little kindness might be what helps save us on days when the weight we’re carrying feels unbearably heavy.
So today, I’m also reminding myself:
Being kind is free.
We never really know what someone else is going through. Some people may be carrying grief, fear, confusion, or pain that we cannot see.
So, whenever we can, be kind.
A little patience, a little understanding, or simply treating someone gently may mean much more to them than we will ever know. :)))
Credit: mikmik
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