When a rich man sees his 32-year-old son taunting a cashier at a café, he teaches him a lesson he will never forget. But it doesn’t end there. Soon the son faces the consequences of his actions and regrets them.
As parents, we all want the best for our children, don’t we? But what if one day you realize that your parenting was not effective enough? What if you realized that giving your child the best was not worth it?
When Darren heard his son Tristan teasing the woman at the cash register, he realized the same thing.
***
“How could you mess up an order? What do you do all day except sell coffee, you idiot? Ugh, this place is awful!”
When Darren heard these words, he immediately turned around and the sight of his son shouting at the cashier enraged him. He asked Tristan to order, but the 32-year-old instead insulted the woman behind the counter. Darren was shocked by Tristan’s arrogant and rude behavior…..
“Sorry for the inconvenience, sir,” the woman said softly, “your order will be ready in five minutes. Please understand, we have a busy day.”
“Ma’am,” said Tristan gruffly, “those five minutes are crucial for a businessman like me who runs a big business! I don’t run a small cafe that sells coffee. Keep the damn order!”
With these words, Tristan threw some euro notes on the counter and was about to leave when Darren came up behind him. “You need to apologize, son,” he said, picking up the euro notes. “Apologise to her. Order again and we’ll wait until she’s finished.”
“Dad…” said Tristan resentfully, “what are you doing? Such people are not worthy of us! Why should I apologize to anyone?”
“Because the company you just mentioned is not yours. You see, I still own all my businesses and I can fire you any time I want. Let’s not embarrass ourselves in public… Please apologize…”.
Tristan was angry, but his position in the company and his money were important to him, so he apologized despite his reluctance.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly, staring at the floor, “I’ll order again…”
“And not only that,” his father added, turning to the woman, “on the way over here, miss, I noticed an ad on the door saying that the café was looking for a janitor. Well, my son would like the position because he’s been suspended from my company. Please help him…”
” DAD!” Tristan’s eyes widened with anger. “Have you completely lost your mind? I… I…”
“If you want to keep your job, son, you have to understand that you can’t get away with disrespecting those around you. I’m sorry I didn’t teach you that sooner. But it’s not too late.”
“Sir,” said the woman behind the counter, “thanks for the apology, but we don’t just hire everyone. We opened recently and only accept applications through the online form. And no, I’m not the cashier… I’m the owner of this cafe.”
“Then I would like to apologize again, Miss,” Darren said, “I’m sorry about my son’s behavior. My son will apply for the job online and I hope he will be suitable for the position…”.
Tristan was upset, but if he wanted his job back, he couldn’t go against Darren. Realizing he had no choice, he applied for the janitorial position. To his horror, he was hired.
***
“This woman is getting back at me!” – grumbled Tristan when the supervisor showed him the mop room on his first day of work. ” Make sure the cleaning is completed before the café opens daily,” the supervisor told him. “I hope that’s clear.”
Tristan nodded and then went about his work. He swept all the interior areas, mopped the floor, and cleaned the windows. The work was grueling and he was beginning to regret the fact that every day he had to show up for work he was angry with the owner.
“Ah, that was just the wrong order! I shouldn’t have overreacted…” he said to himself.
In time, Tristan changed. He realized that it was wrong to insult the cashier over something as insignificant as a wrong order. But that was not all.
In the months that Tristan had been working in the café, he had realized that he had more than just guilt for disrespecting the owner. He was beginning to like her. He had developed strong feelings for her.
Susan was sweet, charming, and extremely polite and helpful. No matter how Tristan treated her, she never reacted rudely to him. And she was so beautiful that Tristan could not help but fall in love with her.
At the time, he was just a janitor who worked for her. “Would she date a simple janitor?” asked Tristan. He wasn’t sure. But he had an attractive appearance. Of course, it would work, he thought.
“So, what are you doing after work?” ‘He asked her one evening, smiling with the smile that had made most women fall in love with him in the past.
But Susan didn’t even look at him. ” I have to go. Please excuse me…”
“Oh, well, we’ll find time for coffee another day…” Tristan whispered, and she heard him.
“I don’t care. Never. Sorry”.
She hurriedly grabbed her things and walked out of the cafe, leaving Tristan in a confusion. No woman had ever refused him. And this woman didn’t even look at him before she turned him down.
Tristan did not believe it. He thought she had refused in a hurry, so he tried asking her out for coffee again, and this time her answer was no. ” I thought I made myself clear, Tristan. Didn’t you invite me for coffee last time and I refused?”
Tristan was discouraged. He’d been turned down by a woman again. The one who really got under his skin. But two months later Susan said yes to coffee…..
That day Susan burst into tears when she received the news from the hospital that her husband Ethan’s surgery might soon be scheduled. Ethan had been in a serious accident and needed surgery, but Susan had no savings and her insurance did not cover it.
When Susan received a call from the hospital informing her that the cost of the operation had been covered, she burst into tears of joy. “But who – who paid for it?” – she asked.
Then the staff member on the other end of the line gave her the name, and Susan had to wait before she answered, “Thank you. I’ll meet him and give him my thanks.”
That afternoon, just after she hung up, Susan walked over to Tristan and thanked him.
“I’m sorry, I overheard your conversation the other day and overheard you talking about your husband on the phone… I’m glad I could help,” Tristan said. He was mortified to find out she was married, but he loved and respected her enough to let her go.
“It wasn’t just help, Tristan. You saved my husband… The operation was necessary… How can I repay you?”
“Well, how about some coffee?” – he asked with a smile.
“Oh my God, of course! I can’t say no this time,” she smiled and thanked him again.
After work at the café, Tristan had changed. His arrogant self disappeared and was replaced by a humble man who found a new friend in the person of Susan, and his father was proud of him.
