When Thomas, a rich restaurant owner, notices a young dishwasher frequenting the locker room, he suspects her of theft. He shames her in front of everyone and grabs her bag to check, only to regret it after seeing what’s inside.
Thomas was a wealthy widower in his early 50s who considered himself smart and charming. He despised those who called him ‘bald’ and ‘pot belly man’ behind his back.
Thomas thought he could easily hit on any young and beautiful woman. He never grew tired of flirting, not that he was a full-time flirt, but he never missed the chance whenever he saw gorgeous young ladies.
For Thomas, age was just a number, and it wouldn’t stop him from unleashing his pick-up lines and directing his steamy stares toward women, including the waitresses and dishwashers who worked in his restaurant. Among them was 20-year-old Giselle.
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Giselle was pretty new at the restaurant. She’d been working as a dishwasher for a month. She was a poor widow who had recently lost her husband, the love of her life, Mason. She struggled to make ends meet after the tragedy and came across a ‘We are Hiring’ signboard outside Thomas’s eatery. She applied as a dishwasher and immediately started working with all her diligence and dedication.
Thomas hurried to her and snatched the bag from her hand. It was heavier than he thought and he had no idea what was inside.
Her co-workers warned her about their boss’s attitude towards the female staff. “That man likes to flirt and has even invited some on dates. He thinks money can buy anything,” one of them said.
Giselle shrugged it off. She was focused on keeping her job at any cost. “I know my boundaries!” she said confidently.
But one day, she witnessed the ugly side of her boss.
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“Do you have any idea why I hired you, Miss Giselle?” Thomas had blocked her way as she was leaving at the end of her shift. He grabbed a red rose from a table nearby.
“No, sir. Please excuse me. I have to get home soon.”
“Don’t call me sir, Miss Giselle. Call me Tom!”
Giselle felt helpless and trapped because she was the last to leave the eatery. She had a lot of dishes to do that day.
“It’s getting late…I have to go. Good day, sir!”
But Thomas wouldn’t budge. “I was blinded by your beauty the first day I saw you,” he said cheesily. “I can sing praises of your beautiful smile all day! What do you think? We can go to a resort, have plenty of drinks, and shop for everything you want…Hmmm?!”
Annoyed, Giselle gently pushed Thomas out of her way and stormed out, saying: “I’m here to work, sir. I’m not here for anything other than my job. And I respect my workplace. Thank you, but I’m not the type you’re looking for. Good day, sir!”
Thomas was furious. His ego hurt. “She is, after all, an ORDINARY dishwasher…How dare she turn down my offer? Wait until I show you what I’m capable of.”
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Days passed, but Thomas hadn’t gotten over what had happened. He was not ready to accept defeat or rejection. He kept looking for a way to humiliate Giselle.
One day, he saw her arrive at work with a big bag and walk into the staff room. An evil plan flashed into Thomas’s mind, and he waited for the next few days to make sure Giselle carried this bag every day to work.
He often checked on Giselle and saw her frequenting the locker room during her shift. His suspicions brewed, and he waited until the afternoon when the eatery was busy to pounce on her.
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“Have a nice day! I have to go to the market. I took half a day off,” Giselle said to her friends.
Just as she was about to exit the door, Thomas called out loud: “Wait right there, Miss Giselle! What have you got in your bag today? Have you been STEALING leftovers and dishwashing liquid? You’re FIRED!”
Giselle was startled. She turned around and started to sweat in fear. The guests stared back at her and began whispering things. Her coworkers assembled behind Thomas and were equally shocked.
“I know you’ve been stealing from me. I saw you frequent the locker room at least thrice during your shift. Come here, give me your bag. Let me see what’s inside.”
Giselle was frightened. She wanted to step back and run. “It’s nothing, sir. I just have my lunch box and a set of spare clothes in it.”
But Thomas hurried to her and snatched the bag from her hand. It was heavier than he thought.
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Some curious guests and staff flocked around Giselle and Thomas as he put the bag on a table and took out a little blanket from it. “Oh my God! What is this?!” he exclaimed as the rest gaped in shock.
“Mawww…Mawww…Mawww.” A newborn baby girl wriggled inside the bag, staring back at Thomas with big brown eyes. He was stunned.
“Sir, I can explain,” began Giselle…
“My husband died a few months ago when I was pregnant. After my baby came, I could not find work, and I had nobody to look after her when I joined here. I could not leave her alone at home, so I hid her in the bag and carried her to work. I frequented the staff to feed her and make sure she never made any noise. I was just protecting my baby. I’m not a thief. I didn’t take a crumb from here.”
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Thomas was moved to tears as the baby reminded him of the child he had lost way back. That day, he cried like a kid in front of everyone, exposing a side of him that nobody knew. Thomas folded his palms and immediately apologized to Giselle.
“I’m sorry, Miss Giselle. I lost my wife and child in an accident many years ago. I remained single after that because I feared losing my loved ones again. I never found true love after that. My loneliness turned me into a monster. I’m not bad at heart, but it’s just that I lived with the assumption that money could buy anything, even love. I was wrong.”
Giselle was teary-eyed after learning Thomas’s story. “Sir, I’m sorry for what you went through after losing your family. I’m glad you realized your mistake, at least now.”
Thomas returned the bag with the baby to Giselle. “You may return to work after a month. I’m giving you paid leave so that you can spend time with your child.”
Giselle smiled, and she left the eatery with her baby.
Thomas had decided to double Giselle’s salary once she returned to work so that it would help her hire a nanny to babysit her child while she was away at work. But did he stop flirting after that?!
Unsurprisingly, some old habits die hard, which was true in Thomas’s case! Although he stopped flirting with his female staff, he still did not completely stop hitting on other random women. Only time will tell if Thomas will succeed in finding true love again. But everyone, including Giselle, is glad he realized money isn’t everything.
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What can we learn from this story?
- Never take somebody’s helplessness for granted. Thomas took advantage of his position to flirt with his employee and coerce her to go on a date with him, regretting it later.
- A mother will do anything to protect her child. Giselle secretly brought her newborn baby to work in order to care for her while earning her keep. She risked her job to protect and care for her baby.
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Dad Takes Disabled Daughter to Prom, Finds $10K Check for ‘Dad of the Year’ in Mailbox Later — Story of the Day
A disabled girl who falls behind without a prom date is in for a surprise when her dad takes her to the prom. The reward he gets the next day in recognition of his love for his child transforms their lives.
“Molly, look! Your dad’s here!” someone from the funeral told the 17-year-old girl who was mourning over her mother Daisy’s coffin.
Danny, Molly’s dad, and her mom had divorced ten years ago. Since then, Molly had only heard terrible things about her father—like he was a ‘drunkard’ and such.
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Though Molly didn’t have any bitterness towards Danny, she often missed their dad-daughter connection. But after her mom’s funeral, things were going to change for Molly…
“Hey, sweetheart!” Danny greeted his daughter and hugged her before placing a wreath on his ex-wife’s coffin.
“Sir, is that truck yours? It’s blocking half the parking. You mind moving it?” a guest asked Danny, who was a truck driver.
“Yeah, that’s ma truck. Gimme a second. I’ve just met ma daughter. Hope ya understand. Thank ya!”
Danny was delighted to meet Molly. The only link he had with her all these years was through the child support he paid for her. Daisy never allowed him to see Molly because she feared he would become a bad influence.
The funeral was over, and everybody left. Danny packed all of Molly’s stuff and told her they were going to his house.
“A parcel? Who sent it?” he wondered. A card on it read: “For Dad of the Year”
“But why, dad? I can’t leave this house. Mom and I lived here. It’s filled with our memories.”
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Molly frowned because Danny wouldn’t listen. He knew he could not leave his daughter alone, particularly considering she often used a wheelchair when she didn’t need crutches. Due to an underlying condition she had developed in her left leg when she was six, Molly limped.
Two days later, Molly moved in with her dad. Though the house was compact and untidy, it comforted her and made her feel loved and included.
As days passed, Danny had difficulty doing things for Molly. Since he never saw her grow up, he did not know how to tackle most things, like braiding her hair, for example. He learned how to do it by watching online videos. But that was not all.
He vacated his bedroom so that Molly would have a nice space to sleep. He even bought a fluffy new bed so that she could rest well. Danny did everything on his end to make his daughter feel at home, but if there was something he kept a secret, it was his constant disappearance at night.
Molly had no idea where her dad had been going at night after she fell asleep. She could only guess he was loitering with his friends in the pub, just as her mother often told her.
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A few days later, Molly stepped down from the school bus and entered their home, crying. She found the door was locked. There was a note tucked behind a plant. “The keys are under the pot. I will be back soon. See ya! – Dad.”
Molly scowled and recalled her mother telling her about her dad’s ‘odd’ habits in the evenings. She frowned thinking her father was out drinking at four in the afternoon.
Hours passed, but Danny never returned home. Molly cooked herself pasta, leaving some for her dad. Then she lay on her bed crying.
“If only I was normal, I wouldn’t be the odd one out. I would have found a date for the prom.”
It turned out that Molly’s teacher had informed them about their upcoming senior prom. All her classmates had found prom dates except for Molly. Nobody was interested in taking her. She figured—who would want to dance with someone with a limp?
Molly cried so loudly that Danny heard her as soon as he arrived home.
“What happened, darling? Why are you crying?”
Molly told him about the prom. “I don’t have a date. I even asked some boys if one of them would at least dance with me during prom, but they refused and laughed. I don’t want to go to the prom, daddy! I want to be alone! Goodnight!”
Molly turned her back on Danny and pretended to sleep, tears soaking her pillow.
Danny couldn’t just leave his daughter in distress. The next day, he bought Molly a beautiful prom dress. And on prom day, Molly was in for a huge tear-jerking surprise. Her dad was taking her to prom.
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Senior students and their parents were flocking outside the hall when a loud screeching roar of an engine drew their attention.
Danny jumped down from the truck. He put a wheelchair on the lawn and helped Molly get out. He pushed the wheelchair on the red carpet as the gathering watched in amazement.
Danny hit the dance floor with his daughter as the music rolled. He lifted Molly and carried her around in circles, syncing with the melodious musical night. For a moment, Molly forgot that she had a disability and laughed her heart out as her dad kept swaying her in his arms.
“My dad is my real superhero. I love him more than anything else in this world. I feel blessed and proud to say I’m his daughter,” Molly cried to her friends after the dance.
Meanwhile, Danny became the show stealer. All the parents flocked around him to praise and applaud him. Danny then shared a bit about himself and his daughter, knowing little about how that evening would soon change their lives.
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Danny and Molly returned home, talking about the fun they had. Then Danny put Molly to sleep in her bedroom and silently crept out of the house.
It turned out Danny had been working a second job as a caregiver at a local nursing home. Besides his part-time day gig as a truck driver, he worked overtime to save money for his daughter’s treatment. When Molly’s disability was diagnosed years ago, many told Danny and Daisy that she would never be able to walk.
But one doctor had assured them he would treat the girl and restore her ability to walk. So Danny quit partying in pubs with his friends and started working two jobs.
Daisy had misunderstood him and thought he was wasting his time at the pub. Danny tried explaining to her, but she never trusted him. Her constant doubts and heated arguments led to their split shortly after. Danny never bothered because he was only focused on saving money for Molly’s surgery and worked hard for the next several years.
It pained Danny whenever he recalled his past. Even that night, while driving to work, he could not shake his thoughts off the terrible things his ex-wife told him. He finished his shift and returned home, unprepared for the surprise that awaited him and Molly.
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That morning, when he returned home from work, Danny was in for a sweet surprise when he found a package in his mailbox.
“A parcel?? Who sent it?” he wondered. A card on it read: “Dad of the Year!”
Inside, Danny found a check for $10,000 and another note:
“Dear Danny, we hope this will improve your daughter’s life. Good luck with her surgery, and we hope you spend more time with her in the evenings. Best Wishes, Your Prom Buddies!”
Danny realized the parents he’d met the previous night were behind this. He shed tears of joy and shared the good news with Molly.
“Really?! My God, daddy…This is unbelievable!” She laughed and cried on his shoulders.
With the money Danny had saved and the $10,000 check, Molly got her surgery. It was successful, and gradually, she was able to walk without crutches.
Meanwhile, Danny quit his second job to spend more time with his daughter. She earned a scholarship to study architecture in another state and was set to leave in three months.
Danny wanted to make the best use of the available time he had with Molly. He taught her to cook, dance, cycle, and even run. He just wanted his daughter to live a normal life and never look back to the days when she was using a wheelchair and crutches.
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What can we learn from this story?
- There is no stronger love in the world than a parent’s love. Danny walked the extra mile to help his daughter walk. He worked two jobs to save money for her surgery and even took her to prom when she did not have a date.
- A father is always a superhero to their children. Even when everybody told Danny his daughter could never walk again, he did not lose hope and worked towards making her walk again. He was her true superhero and inspiration for life.
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.
A one-handed boy makes broth for his late friend’s sick grandma despite facing difficulties. One day, the older woman returns his kindness in the most unexpected way.
This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life. If you would like to share your story
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