A single mom of three is unexpectedly fired for failing to show up at work on time. She is distressed after losing her job, so her 11-year-old son decides to meet her ex-boss on her behalf.
Aiden sat in the living room, watching his favorite TV show. Usually, he’d be out in the park with his friends at this time, but because it was so hot, he opted to stay home.
His neighbor, Mrs. Murphy, who looked after him and his two siblings, Maya and Harry, while their mother, Helen, was away, had given him a lovely lemonade when he returned home from school. He was sipping his delicious drink and watching TV when the front door burst open.
Helen was home earlier than usual, but she didn’t ask Aiden how his day at school went or even acknowledge his presence on the sofa like she always did. Instead, she walked straight to her room and locked the door.
Mrs. Murphy was in the kitchen when Helen returned. “She’s back home early today. Is she sick?” the older lady wondered. She knocked on Helen’s door. “Since you’re back, Helen, I will leave now. In case you need help with something, you can let me know. Are you okay, though?”
A few moments later, Helen opened the door slightly, and Mrs. Murphy noticed her eyes were red and puffy. “I’m sorry, I just want to be alone for a while. You can go home. I appreciate your help.”
“Oh, not a problem at all,” Mrs. Murphy said with a reassuring smile. “But I’m just a call away if you need help, okay? Take care.”
Helen nodded and retreated to her bed, hiding her face in her hands and trying her best to control the tears flowing down her cheeks.
Aiden was engrossed with his show until he noticed that Helen seemed upset. As Mrs. Murphy left, he ran up to Helen’s room.
“Mom?” he asked. “Are you okay? Please don’t cry.” He gave her a gentle hug.
“I’m so sorry, Aiden,” she whispered. “I’m a terrible mom. Terrible, terrible mom….”
“Not at all, mom!” Aiden objected. “You’re the best mom! Why would you say that?”
“Because honey,” she said, sniffing. “I got fired. I no longer have a job. I don’t know how I will manage the bills. I need to make breakfast early in the morning, drop you off at the bus stop, take care of groceries, and much more, and that’s why I was late for work. They didn’t think twice before firing me for that!
“All this while, I was exhausted and stressed, yet I didn’t give up. Nobody was ready to listen to me about why I was late! It’ll be a while before Mom gets a job, sorry….”
“Don’t worry. You’ll be okay. We’ll be fine, too,” Aiden promised, hugging her.
Mr. Mitchell lowered his glasses and smiled a little. “Sure. After you, young man….”
The next day, after school, Aiden didn’t head home. Instead, he decided to head to his mom’s office and talk to her boss. He found her office address on her business card, and when he arrived there, he tried to rush inside through the front gate. But he was stopped by two guards at the entrance.
“Where do you think you’re going, little man?” one of the guards asked, blocking his path.
“It’s urgent. I need to talk to my mom’s boss,” he replied.
“Don’t you know kids are not allowed in here? Is your mom inside the office? I can call her—”
“No, she’s not!” Aiden replied with a temper. “And that is why I need to talk to her boss. Please move now so I can go inside.”
The guards exchanged glances and were about to kick Aiden out when they heard a voice calling out to them: “What’s the matter? Who is that little kid?”
Soon after, the company’s CEO, Mr. Mitchell’s car pulled over, and he got off. “What’s going on here?” he asked, confused.
The guards briefed him about the whole situation and Mr. Mitchell nodded his head carefully. Then he turned to Aiden. “Hello, I’m the owner of this company. My name is Andrew Mitchell. Would you like to talk in my office? We can’t have discussions outside on the streets like this,” he suggested.
“Yes, please,” Aiden replied. “And I’m in a hurry, so it better be quick.”
Mr. Mitchell lowered his glasses and smiled a little. “Sure. After you, young man….”
Mr. Mitchell asked his secretary to get Aiden something to drink from the cafeteria as the two sat in his office, but Aiden refused. “Mom says it’s bad to take things from strangers, so I’m fine. Can we please quickly talk about why I’m here? Mom is waiting for me at home.”
Mr. Mitchell smiled. “Sure, sure. So what is it that you wanted to talk about?”
“My name is Aiden, and my mom’s name is Helen,” Aiden began. “Yesterday, she was fired from her job, even though she didn’t do anything wrong. She was just late for work. I know, I know, that’s not right, but even I’m late for school sometimes! You can’t be so harsh on her!
“My mom is very hardworking, and she has a lot of things to do every day. I have two younger siblings, and she takes care of all our needs no matter how busy she is. She was very upset when she was fired. Can you please give her the job again? She says she can’t pay our bills otherwise. You see, this is a serious matter!” he finished.
Mr. Mitchell listened intently to Aiden and nodded, hiding his grin at the boy’s naivety. “Is that what the problem is, Aiden? Does your mother need her job back?”
Aiden nodded. “Yes. I apologize if I seem too biased. I mean, I understand you can’t be late for work, just as I can’t be late for school. But please, forgive her. I’ll help Mom around the house, so she’s never late again. I promise that.”
Mr. Mitchell nodded carefully. “OK, I’ll look into this. I suggest you go home now. If you want, my driver will drop you off…”
“I’m fine, and thank you,” Aiden replied and walked away.
When Aiden returned home, he noticed Helen talking on the phone and smiling. She saw him enter the house, said a quick thanks, and hung up.
“Mom, what—” Aiden had hardly started to speak when Helen hugged him close.
“Oh, I got the job back, honey! I got the job! And that’s not all. I was promoted! We don’t need to worry anymore!”
Aiden smiled, thanking Mr. Mitchell deep down. “Congratulations, mom,” he whispered to her.
The next day, when Helen returned to work, Mr. Mitchell paid her a visit. “May I come in?” he asked, knocking on her office door.
“Yes, sure, sir,” she replied, getting up from her seat.
“You’ve raised your boy well, Helen,” he said. “He is a true gentleman who is always willing to protect his mother. Had I known your situation, I would have never allowed you to get fired. Do you know what your little boy did?”
“I – I don’t understand….” Helen replied, confused.
So Mr. Mitchell explained how Aiden had met him the day before and persuaded him to hire her again. And after listening to the whole story, Helen had tears in her eyes.
However, none of them knew the real reason why Mr. Mitchell hired Helen back. The reason was that he could relate to Helen’s plight as he had once been in Aiden’s shoes as a child.
What can we learn from this story?
- Our upbringing is reflected in our children’s actions. Aiden was taught how one should care for the people they love, so when he saw Helen distressed about her job, he did the unthinkable to pull her out of the bad phase.
- A real boss is one who not only guides his employees but also cares about them. Mr. Mitchell was a generous man who sympathized with Aiden’s plight, as he too had faced such days as a child.
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