Ten years ordering the same rice soup, without crackers, twice a day, at the same restaurant.
That’s how exact Charlie Hicks’s routine was at the Shrimp Basket in Pensacola, Florida. So exact that when his table was empty for several days in a row in September, cook Donell Stallworth knew something was wrong. First, they called his home. Hicks said he was sick and asked them to leave the food at the door so he wouldn’t infect anyone. By the third day, his phone was only going to voicemail.
Stallworth left his shift unfinished and drove to the apartment. He knocked several times with no answer, until he heard a weak voice asking for help. Hicks was lying on the floor, dehydrated and with two broken ribs. Today, in addition to free food for life, he lives right next to the restaurant, and Stallworth stops by to see him almost every day. They start by talking about an old television series and end up as if they were family.
