“You’re lucky, kid. We have plenty of leftovers today, and you can take it all home,” Steve said. He was the head chef at Alice’s restaurant and often saved the leftovers for Christopher, the little kid who often stopped by her restaurant to eat.
“Oh really? Is it really that much food? Do I have enough to share with my friends?” Christopher’s eyes lit up.
“Yes, Chris,” Steve replied with a big smile. “Just wait here; I’ll get the packages for you.”
Christopher was overjoyed when he received the food packages. He thanked Steve with a big smile, waved goodbye and walked away happily.
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Alice, on the other hand, had no idea that this was a common practice at her restaurant until she saw Christopher leave one evening. However, she was not convinced that he was the type to eat leftovers to fill his stomach. “I should find out what happened to the boy. At least he doesn’t look homeless,” she thought to herself as she saw him leave.
Over the next few days, she waited for him to return, and when he did on the third day, she met him at the restaurant. “Hello, you. Are you here for the leftovers?” she asked him kindly.
“Yes!” Chris answered cheerfully. “Can you get the cook please? He must have kept these packages for me.”
Alice gave him a warm smile. “Well, that’s not necessary. I’ve prepared fresh food for you so you don’t eat the leftovers. By the way, what’s your name?”
“Oh, that’s really nice of you, thank you,” Christopher replied. “My full name is Christopher, but you can call me Chris.”
“Then why don’t you eat at home, Chris?” asked Alice. “Is your mother sick?”
Christopher’s expression changed. “Well, actually… I live in an orphanage, and they don’t give me much to eat. Every time I come here, your staff helps me. I’m very grateful for that. Anyway, I’m going to leave now,” he said, hurrying away.
Alice had a sneaking suspicion that the boy was hiding something all this time. So that day she decided to follow him. And what she saw left her speechless.
Instead of stopping at an orphanage, Chris went to a house, left the bag of food on the porch, and ran away. Soon an elderly woman came out, looked around in surprise, took the bag, and went back inside.
Alice was about to knock on the door and ask the woman who she was and how she knew Christopher, but before she could do so, she received an urgent call from the restaurant and had to leave.
When Christopher returned to the restaurant the next day, she was already waiting for him. “There’s something you need to explain to me, Chris. I know you took the food for someone else. Be honest, who is she?”
“I’m sorry, I lied to you,” Chris immediately admitted. “But I took the food for my grandma. She’s the only family I have left.”
Alice was stunned. “Then why do you live in an orphanage?”
Chris frowned. “When my parents died, my grandmother didn’t get custody because she wasn’t financially stable. She can’t even afford food, so I pick up groceries from here every day and bring them to her house.”
Alice was proud of how Chris was taking care of his elderly grandmother, but at the same time she felt terrible about her situation. So that day she went to his grandmother and told her everything. Christopher’s grandmother Edith was stunned when she realized that it was her grandson who had been leaving food parcels on her doorstep all this time.
“Was that really my grandson?” Edith almost burst into tears. “Oh, my God! I miss him terribly! I’m sorry I couldn’t help him.”
“Don’t worry, ma’am,” Alice assured her. “There is a way I can help you and your grandson.”
That day, Alice went to the orphanage where Christopher was staying and applied for custody of the boy. Fortunately, the formalities were quickly completed and Christopher was able to return to his grandmother.
“I don’t know how to thank you for what you’ve done, Alice,” Edith thanked her. “I always wanted to be with my grandson, but circumstances were such that…” Edith started to cry.
“You don’t need to thank me, ma’am,” Alice replied. “I was more than happy to help. Having lost both my parents when I was young, I know how important it is to be surrounded by loved ones.”
Edith took Alice’s hands in hers. “I can’t make this up to you, but you’re welcome to come visit us whenever you want. After all, you’re like family to us.”
“That’s very kind of you, ma’am,” said Alice, almost with tears in her eyes. “I would be very happy to do that. I like Chris very much. He’s a nice boy.”
“Oh yes, he is,” Edith agreed. “Now I just need the means to support him.”
“Oh, if that’s the case, I have something to offer you…”
Edith had thought that Alice would offer her a job at the restaurant, but when she heard what it was, she burst into tears again.
“I know it may be asking a bit much, but since I lost my parents, I have no one to take care of me,” Alice said. “That’s why I’m looking for someone who will love me like a mother. I hope you’ll accept the job. As for Chris’s education, I’m responsible for that, because I’m his guardian.”
“Of course, honey,” Edith replied as she hugged her. “I will never be able to repay you for your generosity. You literally came into our lives like an angel.”
“You needn’t thank me,” said Alice. “Thanks to you I have a family now, and I think that is the greatest wealth I could ever have.”
What can we learn from this story?