A man booted his guests out from his long-awaited birthday party for mocking his old housekeeper, unaware he would flee from the city with her the next day.
“Haaaa! My big day is finally here!” sighed Joseph as the warm rays piercing his bedroom window tingled his eyes. “I hope Mrs. Wills has made everything ready for the party.”
Joseph was just hours away from cutting his 37th birthday cake. He was excited to have all his friends and colleagues at the party, especially his boss, Samuel. He had been waiting for this day for a long time and wanted everything to be perfect.
But poor Joseph had no idea something else would happen on his big day that would urge him to boot out his esteemed high-profile guests in favor of his old housemaid…
A slow bass melody filled the party venue in Joseph’s living room. Guests started to flock, and there was laughter everywhere.
Joseph and his housemaid were already hundreds of miles away from the city, and nobody knew where they were heading.
“Ah, Mr. Turner!” Joseph exclaimed, flaunting his best smile as he approached his boss Samuel for a warm hug. “Glad you came.”
“Jo, my b’day boy…You look dashing. Nobody can tell you’re 37!” Samuel joked as he entered with his hand on Joseph’s shoulder, adjusting his expensive tuxedo to flaunt his cool and rich look.
The guests busied themselves with lunch as 62-year-old Karen stood at the corner, taking a little break to ease her sore feet.
“Here, take this wine tray. Will you be able to carry it?” one of the waiters asked her.
“Haaaa…I’ll take it,” said Karen as she took the wine tray and approached the guests. She was not used to hearing loud music, let alone sniffing a few puffs while passing by guests who were smoking and chatting.
Karen could not endure the smell, but she was determined to serve her boss’s guests with a smile. That’s when she accidentally tripped on the rug, letting go of the tray of glasses that splashed wine on Samuel’s expensive tuxedo before shattering on the floor.
“Oh my God, shhh….” Joseph gasped as his boss was shocked at his stained suit oozing with wine.
The guests dancing around paused and stared at the tragic scene in dismay. Meanwhile, Samuel’s fury was something Karen hadn’t expected.
“I am so sss—ss—sorry…I will clean it up. I’m so sorry, sir,” she apologized, aware everybody was staring at her and frowning.
“SORRY??? Will that do any good to my suit, you dirty old crone?” Samuel fumed. “Do you know how expensive this tuxedo is? Even if you wash and clean all your life, you would never be able to afford this! How dare you ruin my suit? Are your eyes at the back of your head?”
Karen felt a weird sensation bubbling up her gut. She was frightened because nobody had yelled at her like this, let alone in a crowd. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked around, embarrassed.
“Why do you come to work when you can’t hold a tray?” yelled Samuel. “If you have such crooked, shaky hands, I can’t imagine what your children look like!”
The guests burst into laughter, mocking Karen and adding insult to her injury. She could no longer endure it and walked away in tears.
“Jo, what sort of housekeeper have you got? Fire her immediately!” Samuel yelled, holding Joseph torn between choosing his boss’s order and poor Karen.
“Jo, why are you standing like a statue? This good-for-nothing crone has ruined my expensive suit. FIRE HER, NOW!” Samuel added, confident that Joseph would do as he was told. But to his surprise, the scene twisted.
“ENOUGH! Everybody out now,” Joseph retorted. “Get out of my house, all you rich goats! Get out!”
Samuel was taken aback. He didn’t expect Joseph would side with his housekeeper and boot his esteemed guests out instead of firing her.
“Joseph? Are you out of your mind? You better apologize to me right now and fire her… or you’re fired!” fumed Samuel.
“Oh, really? Well, why don’t you just get out before I throw you out myself?” Joseph replied as an angry Samuel stormed out with all the guests.
The living room that was filled with laughter and music a while ago turned grave silent.
Mrs. Wills, I am so sorry this happened. Please forgive them and…” Joseph apologized to Karen, only to melt into tears after she revealed a heartbreaking truth.
“I have no children. My only daughter and her husband died in a car accident nine years ago. My husband is bedridden, so I have to work to raise my grandson, Dave. We don’t know what weekends and holidays look like. We work daily to keep our little Dave happy,” cried Karen. “It was my mistake…I should’ve been extra careful, but I couldn’t hold back my tears when he talked about my children.”
Touched by Karen’s story, Joseph decided to comfort her and cheer her up by cutting his birthday cake in her attendance.
“Be my guest, Mrs. Wills. I’m gonna make a wish…” He blew the candle as he plotted a little surprise for Karen.
The next day, Samuel tried calling Joseph but was unsuccessful. “…I can’t even get through his landline. Why is nobody answering? Why hasn’t he come to the office yet? I can’t wait to tell him he’s fired and throw him out like he kicked me out yesterday!”
But Joseph and his housemaid were already hundreds of miles away from the city, and nobody knew where they were heading.
“A resignation email?” gasped Samuel after a notification popped on his phone. It was from Joseph, and it turned out that as a part of his plan, he had first quit his job before taking his surprise for Karen to the next level.
Joseph, who had lost his parents in a car crash too young, was raised by his late grandma, Carol. After hearing Karen’s story, he felt history was repeating itself right before his eyes and decided to help her raise her grandson.
So, he had decided to first take Karen’s family on a little vacation before announcing the next big plan he had for her.
“It was the most wonderful time of our lives… My grandson had always wished to see the beach and enjoy the waves. Thank you for fulfilling his desire, Mr. Parker,” cried Karen on their way home from the vacation.
“It’s not over yet, Mrs. Wills. I have another surprise for you!” replied Joseph as he pulled over outside his house and showed Karen a nameplate reading “Joseph Parker & Family” near his main door.
“I know this might sound crazy, but Mrs. Wills, allow me to be your son, and please move in with me!” he said, moving Karen to tears. “After my parents and granny died, I lived with a deep hollow in my heart. I could not move on, but now, I think only you can fill it with your love.”
Ultimately, the woman moved into Joseph’s house with her husband and grandson. She was no longer a housekeeper and turned into Joseph’s doting mother.
As for Samuel, he could not get over the fact that his employee turned down a job to side with his housekeeper. He grinned and grumbled and was even more frustrated after learning of Joseph’s new high-paying gig in a rival company!
What can we learn from this story?
- Even the slightest effort to make someone happy will fetch a reward someday. Karen worked hard to make her grandson happy and raise him well. Her boss Joseph recognized her efforts and rewarded her by letting her family move in with him.
- Never look down upon someone because fate might have better plans for them. When Karen accidentally dropped wine on Samuel, he was furious. He called her names and instructed Joseph to fire her. Ultimately, he was booted out while Karen earned a place in Joseph’s heart and moved in with him to be his mother.
