Every day, before the night shift begins at a bar in America, a lonely female bartender fills a glass with Guinness beer from the tap and places it gently on an empty wood table near the locale’s entrance door. This is done while the chairs are still stacked upside down on the other tables.
The days pass with their usual routine and the bar fills with sport fans and party girls until the late hours of the night; however, the glass remains untouched. There is an understanding with the patrons that the table is taken, although the glass remains full, night after night.
Some days, the sun fills the bar with light from outside, other days it rains and finally the nights become longer and snow begins to fall. The glass remains full. Once a man tries to pull the chair from table to another place, but the woman quickly makes eye contact and shakes her head ever so slightly. The man puts the chair back, lifting a hand in apology.
Finally, one ordinary night, a man in a US army uniform comes inside the bar. The bartender stops, staring at the man with wide eyes. She nods to him and he looks down, seeing the table with the glass of beer. He smiles back at her. Several customers notice the man and raise their glasses, welcoming home the American hero. He raises his glass back at the crowd. The woman smiles and her face glows with joy.