Johnny, a grocery store clerk, loved his job at the grocery store. He loved working with people and knew most of the customers by name. They all appreciated his helpful and friendly attitude. However, his boss, Mr. Terrell, was a bitter and harsh man who prioritized profit above all else.
One day, Johnny’s kindness discouraged Mr. Terrell. It all started when a disabled customer with a prosthetic leg and crutches entered the store. Johnny noticed the man’s difficulty with the crutches, the shopping cart, and retrieving items from the shelves. Johnny called other customers’ groceries and kept an eye on the disabled man.
About 20 minutes later, the disabled man was in line ahead of Johnny. With a smile, Johnny greeted him and asked if he was a veteran. The man explained that he had served in the Middle East, had a prosthetic leg and had used crutches for a few months due to ulcers on his stumps. Johnny sympathized with him and offered to help him with his shopping.
Johnny packed the man’s groceries into bags and watched as he struggled to carry the bags and manage the crutches. He asked other customers to wait a few minutes and followed the man to the parking lot. There, Johnny placed the man’s groceries in his trunk and bid him farewell.
Returning to the store, Johnny found Mr. Terrell waiting for him, angry and questioning his absence. Other customers expressed support for Johnny’s kindness, which briefly appeased Mr. Terrell. However, at closing time, Mr. Terrell called Johnny into his office, handed him a pink receipt and a check, and informed him that his actions had cost the store money. Johnny was fired without discussion.
Johnny, aware of his mother’s financial dependence on him, knew he had to find another job immediately. The next morning, at 7 a.m., Johnny was at the bus stop, waiting to go into town to look for work. A car pulled up and, to Johnny’s surprise, it was the disabled man from the grocery store the day before.
The man offered Johnny a ride and asked him why he no longer worked at the store. Johnny explained that Mr. Terrell fired him because he walked away from his cash register. Feeling responsible for Johnny’s situation, the man insisted on helping him and asked where Johnny wanted to go. Johnny expressed his intention to look for work downtown.
The man revealed that he owned a game development company and, intrigued by Johnny’s passion for video games and ideas, offered him a job. Johnny accepted the offer, and a week later he started working at the man’s company. Johnny was not only making much more than he was making at the grocery store, but he was also doing something he loved.
Under the guidance of his boss and mentor, the man with the prosthetic leg, Johnny thrived within the game development company. He returned to school and took night classes at a local college and, with the help of his mentor, became the company’s top developer, earning five times his previous salary. Johnny’s life had taken a remarkable turn, all thanks to a kind gesture he made to the disabled man at the grocery store.
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