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I was fired for giving an old lady leftover food, and the next morning she came back to the restaurant.
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By nguyentramy171003Published: 13/02/2026 11:20| 0 Comments
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I had only been working at the cafe for a few weeks. It was a temporary job to pay for rent and cover my living expenses. I tried not to draw attention to myself, not to make mistakes, and to just do my job.
One rainy afternoon, when the cafe was empty, an old woman walked in. Her coat was soaking wet, her shoes were old and torn at the toes. She stood silently at the counter and whispered that she was hungry.
In the kitchen, there was a bowl of soup and a sandwich that had been sitting there for a long time, about to be thrown away. I didn't think much of it. I put everything in a paper bag and gave it to her.
Before I could explain, my colleague ran out, shouted, and pushed her out of the cafe. I ran after her, quickly shoving the bag of food into her hand in the rain.
She looked at me, her eyes trembling, and said, "You're so kind."
Right then, my colleague yelled that I had stolen from the cafe.
The next day, I was called into the office. The manager said that giving customers free food was against the rules. They said kindness wasn't part of my job description. And I was fired.
The next morning, I went back to the restaurant intending to apologize and ask for another chance. I opened the door and found the place unusually quiet. No orders, no music, no customers.
A woman in a suit emerged from inside.
My heart stopped.
It was the same old woman from yesterday.
But she no longer had her rain-soaked coat, no longer looked tired. She stood tall, her face serious, her eyes calm. That's when I realized she was the owner of the chain of restaurants and often pretended to be homeless to test how her employees treated vulnerable people.
She told me that, of all the employees that day, only I had treated her like a human being, not a problem.
And the decision to fire me was reversed.
That day, I went back to work.
But what stayed with me longer than the work itself was the lesson:
kindness can get you into trouble for a moment,
but it will always find its way back.
One rainy afternoon, when the cafe was empty, an old woman walked in. Her coat was soaking wet, her shoes were old and torn at the toes. She stood silently at the counter and whispered that she was hungry.
In the kitchen, there was a bowl of soup and a sandwich that had been sitting there for a long time, about to be thrown away. I didn't think much of it. I put everything in a paper bag and gave it to her.
Before I could explain, my colleague ran out, shouted, and pushed her out of the cafe. I ran after her, quickly shoving the bag of food into her hand in the rain.
She looked at me, her eyes trembling, and said, "You're so kind."
Right then, my colleague yelled that I had stolen from the cafe.
The next day, I was called into the office. The manager said that giving customers free food was against the rules. They said kindness wasn't part of my job description. And I was fired.
The next morning, I went back to the restaurant intending to apologize and ask for another chance. I opened the door and found the place unusually quiet. No orders, no music, no customers.
A woman in a suit emerged from inside.
My heart stopped.
It was the same old woman from yesterday.
But she no longer had her rain-soaked coat, no longer looked tired. She stood tall, her face serious, her eyes calm. That's when I realized she was the owner of the chain of restaurants and often pretended to be homeless to test how her employees treated vulnerable people.
She told me that, of all the employees that day, only I had treated her like a human being, not a problem.
And the decision to fire me was reversed.
That day, I went back to work.
But what stayed with me longer than the work itself was the lesson:
kindness can get you into trouble for a moment,
but it will always find its way back.
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