A young man exited his school building and discovered a man in the parking lot trying to hide from the rain. He invited him home only to find out that the older man had been there before. He never imagined what happened next.
Tim was ecstatic. He had just aced his statistic midterm and couldn’t have been prouder. It was a challenging class and a hard test. He knew his future in business management would depend on courses like that, so he loved being good at that. Additionally, it felt great that the teacher praised him in front of his class. He couldn’t wait to go home and tell his father, Emerson, and get his approval.
Tim exited the school building, and the usual noise of other kids outside talking and laughing was absent. It was raining heavily, so he placed his book bag on his head and ran to his car. It was close to a tree, where Tim spotted an older man wiping his face in the rain.
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“Sir, what are you doing here?” Tim asked. He approached the older man and stood beneath the tree. It protected them from the rain a bit, but it was still cold and wet.
“Oh, I was taking a walk. Now, I’m wet, and… oddly, I’m hungry too,” the man responded, smiling.
Tim’s eyebrows raised. He noted the man’s clothes and saw that they were well-kept and freshly pressed, so he never imagined that this man was going hungry at all. However, anything can happen. People can have nice-looking clothes and still not own enough money for food. He felt terrible about it, so he did something surprising.
“Why don’t you come with me, sir? I can give you some food at my house, and I’ll drive wherever you need to go. My mom makes amazing roast beef,” Tim offered, inclining his head toward his car.
The older man turned to him and looked into his eyes silently. He pursed his lips, clasped his hands behind his back, and nodded. “That sounds like the best idea. Thank you, young man,” he responded, and Tim guided him toward his car.
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He drove as quickly as he could in the rain after turning on the heat for them to dry off. After a few minutes, the old man said, “I’m Barton, young man.”
“I’m Tim. Nice to meet you, sir,” the teenager said and they soon arrived at Tim’s neighborhood.
“This is a nice part of town,” the old man commented, nodding.
Tim nodded too, although he didn’t say anything. He felt so sorry for the man. He had probably worked all his life, and now, as an older man, he was going hungry. It didn’t seem fair.
He parked in the driveway, helped Barton get out of the car, and guided him into the house, which was more of a mansion than a regular home.
When Tim opened the front door, the older man looked around, curiously. The teenager ushered him to the kitchen and prepared a plate for the old man. The maid had cooked lunch for the household. Tim watched the old man eating the roast beef dinner and nodding. But he never expected what he would say next.
“It looks exactly the same. Nothing changed here since 1998.”
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Tim turned to him in confusion. “You’ve been here before?” he asked, thinking the older man might have built this house himself. The teenager knew his parents bought it several decades ago, but he had no idea how old the home was.
Before the man could answer, the front door opened again. “Hello! Hello!” Tim’s father greeted. He smiled as he removed his coat and placed his briefcase next to the door. He walked into the kitchen and froze.
“Mr. McClenaghan!” Emerson said, surprised. He opened his arms to the older man, who laughed and did the same. They hugged for a while.
“Dad, do you know this man? He was outside my school and said he was hungry. I thought Mom could feed him, and we could help him out,” Tim explained, more puzzled than ever.
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“Hungry? Oh, Mr. McClenaghan! For God’s sake! You made my kid think you’re a beggar or something,” Emerson joked, and the older man laughed heartily.
“I didn’t mean to. I had just taken my walk. It started to rain, and your son came over. I said something about being hungry, and your son just invited me to his house. I admit I didn’t recognize him at first. But when we arrived here, I knew right away. He reminds me of you, Emerson!” Barton explained, his smile in place.
“Please, someone tell me what’s going on!” Tim demanded, but he wanted to be in on the joke too.
“Tim, you don’t recognize the name McClenaghan? He was my mentor and the original owner of my company, boy!” Tim’s father said, nodding toward the older man.
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Years ago, Mr. McClenaghan had retired, and since he had no children, he had given his company to Emerson, who was the most qualified for the job. Then he traveled around the world, and he had only recently moved back and started living in an expensive nursing home, which wasn’t far from Tim’s high school.
Tim laughed at the silliness of thinking the man had needed food at all. He was richer than God.
“Still, this young man saw a hungry man and didn’t hesitate to invite him home. I see a lot of yourself in him, Emerson. You should be proud,” Mr. McClenaghan said, patting Tim’s shoulders. “You raised a good son, and I know he’ll become a fantastic man just like you.”
Tim’s cheeks turned red as his father nodded. “I’m proud. Very proud,” Emerson said. “How did you do on the exam?”
“Aced it!” Tim answered.
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“Excellent!”
“He’s going to inherit the company one day, and I know it’ll be in good hands,” Mr. McClenaghan added.
“That’s the plan! Now, I think we should celebrate,” Emerson stated and walked toward the wine fridge with a huge grin. He served himself some roast beef lunch too and sat down to reminisce with Mr. McClenaghan.
What can we learn from this story?
Raise your kids to be good people no matter your financial situation. Despite being rich, Tim still worked hard at school and had good values. Not many people would help out a random older man as he did.
Let your children know how proud you are of them. The men in Tim’s life were not afraid to tell him how great he was and how proud they were of him, and that can only encourage a burgeoning young man.
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.
If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a boy who helped an older man pick up his groceries from the floor and received a tiny parcel later.
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, please send it to info@amomama.com.