On Dec. 30, Dawn Sliger said a prayer for a new car.

Later that day at work, it was answered.

“For a belief system like that to put an angel in human form and manifest it to make that happen through such a beautiful man and his kindness,” she said. “It’s just crazy how it happened.”

The 40-year-old had been without a vehicle for almost a year.

On that fateful December day, three people came in to Masala Mantra during Sliger’s shift.

Three eventually became a party of eight.

For the sake of the receipt, Slinger asked at the end of the meal if the bill would be altogether or separate.

“There was a man in the corner named E.J.,” she said. “I watched him dote on his friends and family. He wanted them to have a good experience.”

Sliger had never met him. She’d been working full-time at Masala Mantra at 4518 Del Prado Blvd., S., for two to three months, but she’d never seen him before.

However, it felt like she had met him.

“It was so comfortable,” Sliger said. “We were all joking around.”

He asked if she was looking forward to the new year. She told him she was excited to start working on some goals she had for herself, like saving to get a new car.

Sliger said at Masala Mantra, they have a POS system in which servers present the bill to their customers at the table.

“He said, ‘I want you to take it and I want you to put in the tip. I want you to put $2,020 in there.'”

Sliger thought it was a joke because they were joking around during the meal and “cracking up the whole time.”

But, E.J. insisted.

“I just froze,” she said. “This was insane. Of course, I started bawling.”

She told him about the prayer she said that morning.

“I shared my morning thought with him. I needed that,” said Sliger, who had looked at a car a few weeks before.

The amount she would need was around $2,000.

“The fact that it was that amount completely blew my mind,” she said.

They shared a hug, Sliger got EJ’s phone number, and after she gets her car, she’s going to take him out to dinner.

Masala Mantra opened in October 2019.

Manager Bobby Mammen said it’s the first Indian restaurant in Cape Coral.

If the reviews on TripAdvisor are any indication, it’s quickly becoming one of the city’s favorites.

Mammen said EJ had never dined at the restaurant before.

Another customer who came in a few weeks back referred him.

“The industry has had to face challenges because of the COVID-19 virus and it was a tough time for everyone in the business,” Mammen said. “And like every other restaurant, we’ve seen the impact of the coronavirus.

“We had been supported extremely well by our community and patrons. We’re grateful to every patron. On Dec. 30, we had one of the most amazing things happen.”

The theme at the restaurant is eat, share, love.

“We are truly living and breathing that in every action we do,” Mammen said.

He hopes Sliger will bring the car in on Friday so everyone at the restaurant can celebrate with her.

“Everyone was so excited for her. We’re elated, all smiles,” Mammen said. “Everyone was giving her hugs.”

Having a vehicle is going to be a game changer.

Sliger had to rely on people for rides, but it humbled her and she met some interesting people.

“I met a lot of cool Uber drivers,” she said. “The connections evolved over not having a car. It was a blessing.”

On Thursday afternoon, she was on the way to get her 2009 Toyota Corolla.

Her excitement was palpable.

“I’m swapping licenses and driving it off the lot,” she said.

Sliger is a believer in faith and in miracles.

“There really is good in the world and it comes back,” she said. “It was a beautiful moment. Just a simple act of kindness from one human being to another.”

Sliger called it a super blessing.

“I wouldn’t even call it an act of kindness.”

She’s looking forward to reconnecting with EJ.

Mammen said Sliger has a very cheerful and positive disposition.

“I live in a mindset of my own happy bubble where you look for the good in everything instead of looking for darkness in stuff,” Sliger said. “You can either go in the fear lane or the love lane and I just choose love.

“To have that reciprocate with another light just made my day.”

For additional information about the Masala Mantra Indian Bistro, please call 239-540-6300.