A single mother of three is suddenly fired because she didn’t show up for work on time. Seeing his mother upset by the loss of her job, her 11-year-old son decides to meet with his ex-boss on his behalf.
Aiden is sitting in the living room, watching his favorite show. Usually, he is in the park with his friends at this time, but since it was very hot, he chose to stay at home.
His neighbor, Mrs. Murphy, who looked after him and his two siblings, Maya and Harry, while their mother, Helen, was away, gave him a delicious lemonade when he came home from school. He was sipping his delicious drink while watching television when the front door opened.
Helen came home earlier than usual, but she didn’t ask Aiden how his day at school was and didn’t even notice him on the couch. She went straight to her room and locked the door.
Mrs. Murphy was in the kitchen when Helen came home. “She came home early today. Is she sick? wondered the old lady. She knocked on Helen’s door. “Since you’re back, Helen, I’m going to leave now. If you need help with anything, you can let me know. But are you okay? »
Moments later, Helen opened the door slightly, and Mrs. Murphy noticed that her eyes were red and puffy. “I’m sorry, I just want to be alone for a while. You can go home. I thank you for your help. »
“Oh, no problem,” Ms. Murphy said with a reassuring smile. “I’ll always be available if you need help, okay?” Take care of yourself. »
Helen nodded and retreated to her bed, hiding her face in her hands and doing her best to control the tears streaming down her cheeks.
Aiden was focused on his show until he noticed his mother looked upset. When Mrs. Murphy left, he ran to her room.
” Mom ? he asked. ” Are you fine ? Please don’t cry. He hugged her gently.
“I’m so sorry, Aiden,” she whispered. “I’m a terrible mom. A terrible, terrible mother…. “.
“Not at all, mom! Aiden objected. “You are the best of moms! Why do you say that ? »
“Because honey,” she said, sniffling. ” I got fired. I do not have a job anymore. I don’t know how I’m going to handle the bills. I have to prepare breakfast early in the morning, drop you off at the bus stop, take care of shopping, and many other things, and that’s why I was late for work. They did not hesitate to fire me for that!
“All this time, I was exhausted and stressed, but I didn’t give up. Nobody cared about the reason for my delay! It will be a while before mom finds another job, sorry…. »
” Don’t worry. You are going to make it. Everything will be fine,” Aiden promised as he hugged her.
Mr. Mitchell lowered his glasses and smiled a little. ” Of course. After you, young man…. »
The next day, after school, Aiden did not return home. Instead, he decided to go to his mother’s office to talk to his boss. He found the office address on his business card, and when he arrived he rushed inside through the main door. But he was stopped by two guards at the entrance.
“Where do you think you are going, little man? asked one of the guards, blocking his way.
” It’s urgent. I need to talk to my mom’s boss,” he replied.
“Don’t you know children aren’t allowed in here?” Is your mother in the office? I can call it…”
“No, she’s not there!” Aiden replied angrily. “And that’s why I need to talk to his boss.” Please let me in. »
The guards exchanged looks and were about to kick Aiden out when they heard a voice call out to them, “What’s going on?” Who is this little boy? »
Shortly after, the car of the company’s CEO, Mr. Mitchell, stopped and he got out. ” What is happening here ? he asked, puzzled.
The guards briefed him on the whole situation and Mr. Mitchell nodded attentively. Then he turned to Aiden. “Hello, I am the owner of this business. My name is Andrew Mitchell. Do you want to talk in my office? We can’t have discussions on the street like that,” 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. ” Of course. After you, young man…. »
Mr. Mitchell asked his secretary to get Aiden something to drink from the cafeteria while they were both sitting in his office, but Aiden refused. “Mom says it’s not right to accept things from strangers, so that’s fine.” Can we please quickly talk about why I’m here? Mom is waiting for me at home. »
Mr. Mitchell smiled. ” Of course, of course. So what did you want to talk about? “.
“My name is Aiden, and my mother’s name is Helen,” Aiden began. “Yesterday she was fired from her job, despite having done nothing wrong. She was just late for work. I know, I know, it’s not good, but even I am sometimes late for school! You can’t be so hard on her!”
“My mother is very hardworking and she has a lot to do every day. I have two younger siblings, and she takes care of all our needs, even though she is very busy. She was very upset when she was fired. Can you please give him a job? She says without it she will not be able to pay our bills. You see, this is a serious thing! “, he finished.
Mr. Mitchell listened intently to Aiden and nodded, hiding his smile at the boy’s naivety. “Is that the problem, Aiden?” Does your mom need to go back to work? »
Aiden nodded. ” Yes. I apologize if I seem too biased. I mean, I understand that you can’t be late for work, just like you can’t be late for school. But please forgive her. I’ll help mom around the house, so she’ll never be late again. I promise you. »
Mr. Mitchell nodded cautiously. “Okay, I’ll take care of that.” I suggest you go home now. If you want, my driver can drop you off…”
“I’ll be fine, and thank you,” Aiden replied and left.
When Aiden got home, he noticed Helen talking on the phone and smiling. She saw him enter the house, thanked him quickly before hanging up.
“Mom, what the…” Aiden had barely started to speak when Helene hugged him.
“Oh, I’m back to work, honey!” I started working again ! And that’s not all. I got a promotion! We don’t need to worry anymore! »
Aiden smiled, deep down thanking Mr. Mitchell. “Congratulations, Mom,” he whispered to her.
The next day, when Helen returned to work, Mr. Mitchell visited her. ” May I come in ? he asked, knocking on his office door.
“Yes, of course, sir,” she replied, rising from her seat.
“You raised your boy well, Helen,” he said. “He is a true gentleman who is always ready to protect his mother. If I had known your situation, I would never have fired you. Do you know what your little boy did? »
“I – I don’t understand…. replied Helen, confused.
So Mr. Mitchell explained how Aiden had met him the day before and persuaded him to rehire her. After hearing the whole story, Helen had tears in her eyes.
However, none of them knew the real reason Mr. Mitchell had rehired Helen. The reason was that he understood Aiden’s pain, as he himself had been in his place as a child.
What can we learn from this story?
The education we received is reflected in the actions of our children. Aiden has learned to take care of the people he loves. So, when he saw his mother anxious about her work, he did something unthinkable to get her out of this bad patch.
A real boss is one who not only directs his employees, but also cares about them. Mr. Mitchell was a generous man who sympathized with Aiden’s suffering, as he too had experienced such situations as a child.
