Waitress Returns $1,000 She Stole From Former Boss With Written Apology 20 Years Later

It might sound like a cheesy line, but it is really never too late to do the right thing.

Well, sure, you'll have to deal with the pain of not doing what you were supposed to have done years prior, but it doesn't change the fact that you finally made it right, which will not only make you feel better about yourself, but leave a huge impression on other people.

This is something that Carlotta Flores, owner of the El Charro restaurant in Tucson, Arizona came to realize when she received something in the mail that pleasantly surprised her.

The letter was from an employee of Flores' who admitted to stealing money from her restaurant when the two worked together back in the '90s.

The envelope contained a handwritten letter of apology along with $1,000, which the former worker says not only covered the money she stole, but also 20 years of interest on top of it.

Carlotta's son, Ray Flores, posted a photo of the kind gesture on his Facebook page and tagged his mother, sister, and wife in the post.

"You don’t always have to tell someone who you are to make things right for you both. This made our week! #honestyisthebestpolicy #makeamends#behonest #nevertoolate #thankful," Ray wrote.

In the letter, the past waitress remarks that it was the first and last time she ever stole and that her actions bothered her for decades. And then, she finally decided to take action.

"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. I grew up in the church, I knew better. I hadn't stolen a dime before then, nor have I since.  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. May God forever bless you+ your family."

She signed the letter only as "a thankful former employee," and left it at that.

After receiving the letter, Flores said in an interview with KVOA that it had a huge impact not just on her, but on her family and employees at the restaurant as well.

It also came at the perfect time — Flores recently was the victim of a robbery.

"I had my purse stolen and this sort of renewed the faith that we have a lot of good people out there," Flores told KVOA.

She also said that the kind gesture left a lot of her staff in tears after reading the message from the past waitress.

"I don't know where she's at or 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. So I hope she keeps looking to see what we're doing with it," said Flores.

I don't know what it is about waitresses performing acts of kindness that hits us right in the feels. All right, so technically this woman was a thief who was making a mistake she made right after years of it eating her up inside and was technically no longer an employee of El Charro, but it is still pretty awesome of her nonetheless.

A few months ago there was Waffle House employee Evoni Williams who was awarded a $16,000 scholarship for going above and beyond her duties in helping an older customer by cutting his food for him.

Her act of kindness made waves on the internet, and I think it has to do with the nature of service industry jobs in general.

Restaurant workers like waiters, waitresses, and bus boys are paid below minimum wage in the United States and have to rely heavily on tips for their income. Oftentimes, they aren't treated the nicest by customers, so when they still manage to keep a smile on their face and show kindness in their situation, even when it's not an ideal one, that shows real strength.