The poor woman has been working as a cleaner for almost 10 years. One day, she realized that her children no longer had clothes that they were not ashamed to wear to school. She had no choice but to go to her tough boss and ask for extras, although she knew perfectly well that he did not give it to anyone.
Born the eldest of eight children to a low-income earning family, Judy had to stop school early and work. She took the simplest job that did not involve much thinking to help her parents feed her siblings and send some of them to school.
Unfortunately, Judy was not able to finish her studies. At 19 years old, she met a man, Enrico, with whom she fell in love. Enrico was a wise construction worker who promised Judy the world and gave it to her once they married.
He did not want his wife to work and instead asked her to take care of their two daughters, Amy and Crystal. When the girls began school, Judy asked her husband if she could find a job to add to their income.
Judy wanted a sense of fulfillment in contributing to their overall bills, which she did not feel at home. Enrico agreed, and soon, Judy found a job as a cleaner in a small company.
A year ago, Enrico died of cancer and left his wife to fend for their family. Since then, the single mom has been raising and feeding her two girls, ages 16 and 14. Her income fit them just right but allowed no space for leisure items.
Judy realized that her children did not have any clothes that looked new — most were worn out. Sadly, Judy didn’t have enough money to buy her girls new clothes, so she decided to ask her boss for a raise.
The company owner, Drake, was a tough but fair old man known for being frugal. Although she knew that none of the other employees had a salary increase, she mustered up the courage to ask anyway.
When she told her boss why she needed a raise, he pretended not to care, although he was actually listening. When Judy finished, Drake asked, “So you need money because your kids need new clothes?” “Absolutely,” Judy replied.
Drake paused and reminded her that he does not give raises in the company. Judy lowered her hair in despair as her boss added: “But I have an idea. Do I understand that your daughters are already teens? What do they do after school?”
Judy responded that her two girls do not have extracurricular activities as she cannot afford them. “Aha!” Drake shouted. At first, Judy thought that her boss was already making fun of her, but he continued:
“My wife is a professional seamstress. Your children can come to her studio after school.”
Drake proposed that his wife could teach them how to sew clothes and give the teens the necessary tools to make them. “So, if your children want good clothes, let them sew it themselves. How do you like that?” he said.
Judy was speechless and simply thanked her boss. The following day, her kids began to sew. At first, they went to the studio only three times a week and did not do well, but they liked the class so much that they started going there every day.
Within three months, they began sewing beautiful clothes for themselves that other kids complimented. Drake’s wife praised the girls for their hard work. Soon after, the girls started sewing clothes for the wife’s other clients as well.
They made extra money for their service. The girls like the craft so much that they aspired to become fashion designers. With his simple act of kindness, Drake allowed two young girls to dream big.
What can we learn from Judy and Drake’s story?
1. Be courageous enough to ask for help when needed
2. A small act of kindness can go a long way
Share this story with your friends. It might inspire people to share their own stories or to help someone else.
