After trying the Shrimp Basket in Pensacola, Florida, Charlie became such a fan of the seafood spot that he began dining there twice a day for the next ten years. At lunchtime, he always ordered gumbo with light rice and no cracker. Then he returned for dinner and enjoyed the same meal again, making it a true daily tradition.
“Mr. Hicks don’t miss no days,” one of the restaurant’s chefs, Donnell Stallworth, told CBS News. “We open the doors up, Mr. Hicks is there to greet us.”
After he missed the first day, employees called his home. Charlie answered and explained that he was sick. A staff member then drove over and dropped off his gumbo at the door, just as he requested, because he did not want to risk getting anyone else sick. But on the third day, when the team called again, the phone rang without an answer and went straight to voicemail, which made their worry spike.
Feeling that something was off, Chef Donnell stopped what he was doing in the middle of his shift and drove straight to Charlie’s apartment. When he knocked, he heard no response, and that silence made him even more concerned.
No one knew how long Charlie had been lying on the floor, and when help arrived, he was found with two broken ribs and severe dehydration. The discovery explained why he had not answered the door or the phone.
Determined not to let him recover alone, staff continued bringing his usual gumbo order straight to the hospital. They wanted him to keep the comfort of his favorite meal while he healed.
“[Charlie] said that Donell had saved his life. And I’m pretty sure that Donell and [the Shrimp Basket staff] saved his life,” Charlie’s niece Christina Neeper told the Pensacola News Journal. “Donell has been texting him and visiting him. Apparently, they’re best friends.”
“We made a connection,” Charlie told CBS News. “We made a connection.”
“He’s that uncle. He’s that grandfather. He’s that best friend,” Donnell added. “He’s all in one.”
