When a millionaire notices a homeless woman begging for alms outside his high-end clothing store, he becomes enraged and kicks her out, but his rage lasts only until he sees her face.
Millionaire businessman Morgan Wright was a stringent man and could bear anything but the sight of the homeless and poor. “They are good for nothing! They just want to beg and get by! And do nothing!” he’d often say with disdain.
Morgan’s wrath knew no boundaries when he arrived at his exquisite store with some of his investors and discovered a homeless woman there, sitting on a bench, begging for alms.
“Please go ahead. I shall join you shortly,” he told his guests with a forced smile as the store’s receptionist showed them the way inside. Then he phoned his manager, Peter Wilson, and told him to report to him right away.
“Mr. Wright. What’s the problem? You said it was urgent. Is everything alright?” Peter asked as he dashed out of the store.
“Alright? What on earth is that woman doing here, Peter? I’ve been seeing her here for the third day in a row. How has she not been kicked out yet? You know I can’t stand such people!”
“Uhh, Mr. Wilson, she’s old and poor. She looks weak too, so I thought—”
“What did you think, Peter? Do you think we are doing charity here?! There are so many homeless freaks in this country, and you can’t go around helping everyone! They must learn that working hard and establishing a life for themselves is their only option! Tell her to leave now! She should be out of my sight in five minutes!” Morgan yelled.
Peter looked at the feeble old woman who sat with her head bowed, a sign beside her. “I haven’t eaten in days. Please help!” it pleaded. Though he didn’t want to do as he was told, he knew Morgan wouldn’t let him off the hook if he ignored his commands. So he approached the woman and kindly asked her to leave.
“Excuse me, ma’am,” he said softly. “Would you mind moving to another location? My boss is right behind me, and if you don’t move from here, I’ll be fired.”
“Your boss?” the old lady asked in a barely audible voice as she raised her head. Peter noticed how distressed she appeared. Her face was plagued with wrinkles. “Son, Ca – Can you get me something to eat?” she requested quietly. “I – I didn’t eat…”
“Sure, ma’am, please come with me first.” Peter extended his hand to her and began assisting the woman in getting up and moving.
Meanwhile, Morgan kept checking his watch, growing impatient. When he noticed the woman appearing to take her sweet time, he lost his temper and approached her. “How difficult is it for you to move quickly? You think you can sit wherever the hell you want? Just move fast!”
The woman’s eyes welled up, and she raised her head to apologize to Morgan. “I’m sorry, dear. I haven’t eaten in days, and I’m feeling tired.” She moved slowly, picking up the placard and bowl she used for begging passers-by for money.
A shock ran through Morgan when he saw her face. He stood there motionless, his forehead sweating as if he’d seen a ghost, then tears began to well in his eyes. “Mom?” he asked in a tearful voice. “Is that you?”.
The elderly lady immediately came to a halt and slowly turned around. “Morgan?” she asked softly. “Are you Morgan, my son?”
“Mom!” Morgan couldn’t believe his eyes. “I can’t believe you’re here! What happened to you? Where did you go? I assumed something bad happened to you, that’s why you never returned.”
The elderly woman sobbed as she hugged her son. “Oh, it’s – it’s a dream! Morgan, I am so happy to see you’re safe. I’m very sorry… It’s all my fault…”
“We’ll talk about it later, mom! Please accompany me. Peter!” he exclaimed, turning to face Peter. “Please look after the investors. I’ll be taking my mother home, and please cancel all of my meetings for the day!”
“Sure, sir,” Peter said, nodding.
Morgan escorted his mother to his parked vehicle in front of his store and took her home. The car came to a halt in front of a massive mansion that was tastefully lined on both sides with greenery. When Morgan’s mother saw this, she was proud of how successful her son had become over the years.
A caretaker escorted her to one of the rooms, where she washed and dressed. When she walked out of the room, Morgan couldn’t contain his tears. Several years had gone, but his mother remained the simple woman with the innocence in her eyes he’d last seen when he was ten.
He escorted her to a dining table where dinner was served by his professional chef. The way she ate made him wonder how long she’d been experiencing atrocities in the streets after she was left to suffer. He had always hated the homeless because of his past…
Morgan’s alcoholic and abusive father kicked them out when he was ten years old. Following that, he and his mother scoured the streets, begging others to help them, but no one cared. Then the worst happened one day.
Mrs. Wright informed Morgan that she would return after getting supper for them and asked him to wait. He waited for her under a streetlight, but hours passed, and she never returned. He was crying as he sat there when a cop approached him. “Hey, kid! What happened?” he asked in a heavy voice.
Morgan looked up and saw the cop standing in front of him with his hands on his hips. “My – my mother….she left to fetch us food, but she didn’t return,” he sobbed.
“You…ugh…you got her photo or anything?”
Morgan shook his head, so the cop motioned for him to follow. He was taken to the police station, and after learning he and his mother were homeless, social services placed him in an orphanage while the cops searched for his mother.
When weeks passed, and there was no success, Morgan was admitted to the orphanage permanently. Years later, he left the orphanage and pursued business studies at a local community college. After college, he strived hard, working his way towards becoming his own boss. Meanwhile, he kept searching for his mother, hoping she was still alive, but when the search turned up nothing, he thought she was no more. But then fate intervened, and now the son was reunited with his mother!
“What happened to you, mom? How come you didn’t come looking for me?” Morgan asked.
Mrs. Wright stopped eating, her eyes welling up. “Morgan,” she replied, avoiding eye contact. “I – I purposefully left you there. I was a coward, and I’d never forgive myself for what I’d done! Yes, son, I left you all alone and ran away….”
“What? But mom—”
“I couldn’t look after you, Morgan, so I left you on that street close to the police station, knowing that someone would have helped you. I’m sorry….I was a coward…I thought I’d find a job and find you again, but nobody hired me, and I had to live on the streets all my life. I couldn’t see my son struggling the same way, so I chose to abandon you. I’m so sorry….I’m so sorry…” she muttered, breaking down in tears.
Morgan didn’t know what to say. He found himself in a dilemma. He had always despised the homeless because he believed they took advantage of their condition and survived by begging since they were lazy and refused to work. But when he found out his mother had been living on the streets due to her circumstances, he understood how wrong he had been.
At the same time, he was hurt that his mother had abandoned him, but he reasoned that it was for the best. He reflected that if he hadn’t gone through all of the trials and tribulations, he might not have gotten to where he was today.
Putting the ridiculous past behind him, Morgan forgave his mother. He also developed a sense of compassion towards the homeless. He realized they don’t beg for a living because they’re lazy but because they were compelled to do so by circumstances beyond their control, and he had no right to condemn them.
He hugged his mother and said, “It’s okay, mom. It wasn’t entirely your fault. I’m glad we’re together now, and nothing can separate us this time.”
What can we learn from this story?
Don’t jump to conclusions. Morgan believed a homeless person’s impoverished fate is due to one’s own cowardice and laziness. He didn’t realize that sometimes no matter how hard one tries, they are compelled to be homeless due to situations they cannot control.
Let bygones be bygones. In spite of being abandoned by his mother, Morgan forgave her and they started afresh.
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