We all come from different backgrounds and we have all grown up in different ways. Some of us have grown up wealthy, while some are not as well off. Many of us had parents who worked two jobs, and many of us had parents with tertiary education and a fancy office. This story, which was inspired by the readers at AmoMama, teaches us that no matter where we come from or what we do for a living, we are all worthy of respect.
Children Can Be Cruel
David had never imagined he would ever need to explain to his son one day how to treat people. The day his son was born, he was so perfect, so innocent. But now, David was facing something he just never thought he would need to, and he knew he needed to handle the situation the right way, the first time.
You see, David had been waiting in the car park for his son, Tyron, to finish school. David sat in the car waiting and aimlessly flicked through his phone. It was not long before he noticed his son standing a few cars away, talking to his friends. But David had never seen one of the boys before. He noticed that the boy was crying and that his son and friends were all laughing. He knew something was wrong.
What’s Going On?
Tyron eventually walked to the car, unaware that his father had been watching him. He got into the car and his father asked him how his day had been. Tyron told him about a new boy who had started in his class, and that he did not like him.
David started driving home and asked if it was the boy who was crying, causing his son to go red in the face. He had no idea that his dad had seen what happened. Tyron replied yes, and looked out the window, clearly embarrassed. David asked why the boy had been crying, and why he and his friends were laughing. Sheepishly, Tyron told his father that they did not want to be the new boy’s friend. David stopped the car. He wanted to know exactly why this poor child had been crying.
The Grocery Store Boy
Tyron told his dad how embarrassing the boy was, his father was a packer at a grocery store. He would never ever be able to be friends with someone like that. David was shocked at what his son said and was very angry. How could his son ever think of anyone so poorly? That poor child. David asked Tyron what was wrong with being a grocery store packer, to which Tyron smugly replied it was a stupid job, and only dumb people work in grocery stores.
David was angrier than ever. He needed to make sure his son did not grow up to be a snob, he needed to know that his son would be kind. So he decided to tell him a story of his own life, one Tyron had no idea about.
A Detour
David, angry but trying to stay calm, started driving again, but instead of turning right to go back to their family’s large home in the suburbs, David turned left. Tyron asked his dad where they were going. His dad said nothing. Tyron was not sure what to think. They drove in silence for about 20 minutes. Eventually, the leafy, safe streets of the suburbs turned to dark and dingy apartment blocks. Tyron noticed kids younger than him standing around outside with no parents around. He felt a little scared.
Tyron asked his dad what they were doing in such a gross neighborhood, his dad stopped the car again. and turned towards his son. He asked Tyron what he thought about his grandfather. Tyron immediately replied that his grandpa was amazing, just like his dad.
Truth Bomb
David looked at Tyron and asked him how he would feel if he knew that his grandpa had been a rubbish collector his whole life. Tyron looked shocked. “That could never be,” he said, “gramps is rich”.
David started to tell his son about his childhood. He pointed to an apartment block that looked like it had been through a war. “That’s where I lived when I was your age,” he said. “And your grandfather was a rubbish removal man“. Tyron was shocked. He refused to believe it.
The father went on, with a tear in his eye, to tell his son how his life had been. He explained to Tyron that his father had started a business after 40 years of saving. Until that point, he was not a rich man, but he did everything he could to make sure David and his brother were looked after. They went to good schools because his father worked hard and made so many sacrifices.
“People used to call me the garbage boy“, David told his son. “I had no friends, and nobody liked me because my dad worked an honest job, you see son, this is why I have brought you here so that you can understand that nobody is better than anybody”.
Back to School
Tyron felt ashamed, he realized that the way he and his friends had treated the new boy was not okay. If his own grandfather was a garbage collector, then he could not judge. Tyron told his dad he was sorry, and that he would make friends with the new kid at school the very next day.
The next morning, David dropped his son at the school gate. He felt a moment of proudness as he watched his son walk right up to the new boy and sit next to him. As he watched them, they spoke before the bell rang for school to start. He saw that the other boy was smiling now, and he knew that he had taught his son a valuable lesson.
This story was inspired by an original piece of fiction that first appeared on AmoMama. Any similarities between this story and actual people is purely coincidental.
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