I was enjoying a solitary lunch - so often the best kind of lunch - at an Asian restaurant up the road the other day when who should walk in but the guy from my bank. The bank is just a block from the restaurant so I suppose it's not surprising that he might come in from time to time for a bite. He took a window table across the way from me and fished out his phone and commenced some recreational browsing. I watched him covertly and a little star-struck.For one reason and another I've been spending more time than usual in my bank lately, closing accounts, opening accounts, buying foreign currency, raging against the machine, just generally futzing and fussing like any other genial old duffer with too much time on his hands, and the guy from my bank has been a constant source of sunlight. He's always smiling, always cheery even though dealing with the bank-going public must be approximately as much fun as staffing a Telkom customer support line or being the Mango employee who has to tell the line of passengers that the flight has been delayed for operational reasons.I have seen him solemnly accept the rantings and crabbings of elderly crustaceans who haven't received their statements this month, and soothe the wild-eyed entrepreneur in khaki shorts and Crocs who would like to know how he can justify these damn bank charges and how anyone is supposed to run a damn business when people think it's okay to charge you money for damn well withdrawing your own damn money. He always does it with grace. He has been very patient and helpful with me and he once printed something I needed for my tax return and slipped it to me with a wink instead of charging me the R50 at which his employers value that information. You remember the guy in the bank I mentioned last week who agreed to stroke my face and give me his honest appraisal of the closeness of my shave? It was he.What I'm saying is he does a hard job well and I've only ever seen him in the bank so when he sat down in the restaurant across the way from me, it felt like spotting a celebrity, as though I was a visitor to New York spotting Robert de Niro buying bagels in a deli. I surveilled him a while, noting what he ordered (noodles) and what he drank (tap water) and trying to pick up the secrets of his efficiency and tireless good nature. Hard to tell these things from a distance; greatness rises from within and isn't often worn on the surface.I thought about an e-mail I'd received that morning from a reader of this good newspaper who isn't in the habit of sending fan mail but thought he'd do it anyway. It was kind and generous and it made me feel good about myself and about my work, and I thought, well heck, if someone can do that for me, why can't I do that for the guy from the bank?Things like this don't come naturally to me, but I remembered that time I was sure I saw William Shatner in a bar in Amsterdam. He didn't turn out to be William Shatner in the end, but I approached him, so surely I can approach the bank guy, because I'm a bigger fan of the bank guy than I ever was of William Shatner.I screwed up my courage and approached his table. He didn't look up. I cleared my throat awkwardly. "Excuse me ."He looked up wearily.I told him I didn't know if he remembered me, but I'm the guy who always comes in in January and wants a monthly statement from last February.He smiled politely, the way people smile who meet far too many people and have seen far too many banking crises to remember your small drama.I explained that I just wanted to say he does a great job and I really appreciate it. He nodded and thanked me and tried to go back to his phone, but I was on a roll now."How do you keep so cool, dealing with all those idiots?" I asked."Work is work, and then when I'm not at work I try to relax," he said pointedly."Huh, that's interesting, so do you find that you... ""Excuse me," he said, "I don't mean to be rude, but I only have an hour for lunch."Here's what I learnt: 1. Don't interrupt people when they're eating. 2. Don't underestimate what it takes to keep smiling and doing a good job. 3. Don't assume it comes naturally. 4. Always consider the possibility that you are one of those idiots...