# Florida waitress saves abused boy **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 15, 2021, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-waitress-saves-abused-boy/930599 "2021-01-15T13:42:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-waitress-saves-abused-boy/930599/1 "2021-01-15T13:42:25Z")
This story isn’t entirely a feel-good tale, but damn. I love this woman so much. I thought people might want to hear about what she did. > **[‘Do you need help?’ Police say stealthy note written by Orlando waitress...](https://www.wftv.com/news/local/orange-county/do-you-need-help-orlando-waitress-uses-stealthy-handwritten-note-help-rescue-abused-boy-police-say/PRDSIJIQENDJRCMPCUIY77OUXE/)** > > An Orlando waitress told police she knew something was wrong when an 11-year-old boy sitting at one of her tables was forbidden from ordering anything to eat. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-waitress-saves-abused-boy/930599/2 "2021-01-15T14:48:30Z")
> [@](#): > > She wrote, “Are you OK?” on a piece of paper and held it up to the boy from where his parents couldn’t see from their booth at Mrs Potato Restaurant. > > At first, the boy shook his head no. > > “I knew it that he was afraid,” she said. > > So she tried again. “Do you need help?” she wrote on another piece of paper. This time, he nodded. > > Carvalho phoned her boss for advice and then called police. I’m curious: would the bruises, the boys demeanor, and him being forbidden from getting anything to eat have been enough justification, legally, to call the police without this? ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-waitress-saves-abused-boy/930599/3 "2021-01-15T14:56:35Z")
Since when is ‘legal justification’ required to call the police? People call police all the time, for entirely unjustified reasons, without consequences. Do you really think calling in ‘suspected‘ child abuse needs legal justification? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-waitress-saves-abused-boy/930599/4 "2021-01-15T14:56:40Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I’m curious: would the bruises, the boys demeanor, and him being forbidden from getting anything to eat have been enough justification, legally, to call the police without this? - Absolutely. Couple that with the concealing clothing, it’s a dead giveaway. I’m a mandated reporter(high school coach). Even without the notes, I would have been required to report something of this level. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-waitress-saves-abused-boy/930599/5 "2021-01-15T14:56:40Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I’m curious: would the bruises, the boys demeanor, and him being forbidden from getting anything to eat have been enough justification, legally, to call the police without this? Of course it is. Generally speaking, it’s not illegal to call the police unless you’re falsely reporting an emergency. And there are all sorts of messages telling us to call them if we see something suspicious like bruises and we feel someone is in danger. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-waitress-saves-abused-boy/930599/6 "2021-01-15T15:39:45Z")
Did you see the mug shots of the stepdad and mom? It’s like they called central casting and asked for stereotype-matching abusive creeps to play the part. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-waitress-saves-abused-boy/930599/7 "2021-01-15T15:48:47Z")
> The owner of the restaurant, Rafaela Cabede, said she credits what took place to a higher power. Ummm, no. Your employee used her good judgement and acted appropriately for the situation. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-waitress-saves-abused-boy/930599/8 "2021-01-15T15:49:19Z")
Yeah, that bugged me too! ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-waitress-saves-abused-boy/930599/9 "2021-01-15T15:52:56Z")
If anyone knows Ms Cabeda, maybe they could ask her why her “higher power” didn’t step in before the boy suffered the lifetime of neglect/abuse he’s exerienced? ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-waitress-saves-abused-boy/930599/10 "2021-01-15T17:32:57Z")
Perhaps the higher power caused the abuse in order to give the waitress a chance to do a good deed. We’ll never know. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-waitress-saves-abused-boy/930599/11 "2021-01-15T17:40:49Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > If anyone knows Ms Cabeda, maybe they could ask her why her “higher power” didn’t step in before the boy suffered the lifetime of neglect/abuse he’s exerienced? - > [@Ponderoid](#): > > Perhaps the higher power caused the abuse in order to give the waitress a chance to do a good deed. We’ll never know. - Mysterious ways and all that shit. ---
**Author:** ![PackerMan2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/packerman2/32/2894_2.png) [@PackerMan2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PackerMan2)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-waitress-saves-abused-boy/930599/12 "2021-01-15T17:54:48Z")
See, that’s what happens when y’all cancel Christmas Shoes. God is like “I can’t give that kid’s mom cancer? Hold my beer”. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-waitress-saves-abused-boy/930599/13 "2021-01-15T18:04:02Z")
Only took twelve posts for this thread to go from, “Good on her for saving that kid,” to “Fuck her for being religious.” ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-waitress-saves-abused-boy/930599/14 "2021-01-15T18:06:16Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Only took twelve posts for this thread to go from, “Good on her for saving that kid,” to “Fuck her for being religious.” - That was the owner of the diner shifting credit. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-waitress-saves-abused-boy/930599/15 "2021-01-15T18:07:30Z")
Ugh, you’re right. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-waitress-saves-abused-boy/930599/16 "2021-01-15T18:18:30Z")
I mean, I’m an athiest, but everyone is kinda ignoring the rest of what the owner said: > She said Carvalho wasn’t scheduled to be working the night she spotted the child. She was only there because another employee called out. And the family was sitting at the only table in the restaurant where Carvalho would have been able to hold the sign up to the boy without the rest of his family seeing. > > They were also the last table of the night, allowing Carvalho to pay more attention to the family. > > “We understand that this has to encourage other people that when you see something, say something,” Cabede said. “We know when we see a situation that is wrong, we know what’s the right thing to do. We know that speaking up is the right thing to do. But it takes more than acknowledging it. It takes courage.” ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2021, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-waitress-saves-abused-boy/930599/17 "2021-01-16T16:09:42Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > I mean, I’m an athiest, but everyone is kinda ignoring the rest of what the owner said: Thank you for posting this. I need to be reminded sometimes not to be a knee-jerk atheist (oh you know what I mean). I hope this story keeps having a happy ending and that the kids find a permanent, safe place to stay. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2021, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-waitress-saves-abused-boy/930599/18 "2021-01-16T21:13:08Z")
No kidding. Being an atheist, or a “none”, or whatever, is like having boobs and/or a penis - they’re nice to have, but not necessarily okay to wave around at every opportunity. Anyway, I also commend this woman’s courage, because intervening could have gotten HER beaten up, or worse. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2021, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-waitress-saves-abused-boy/930599/19 "2021-01-16T21:23:04Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > No kidding. Being an atheist, or a “none”, or whatever, is like having boobs and/or a penis - they’re nice to have, but not necessarily okay to wave around at every opportunity. \*_slowly backs away, nonchalantly tucking body part(s) back where they belong_ \*