Later Than Usual
As the gentle music played, he relaxed at the diner, enjoying his coffee. It was a chilly morning, and he was relieved to finally have something warm and soothing to drink.
His dish of waffles, eggs, and bacon bits had already been emptied. As he was getting ready to leave, a young boy no more than ten years old raced up to him and handed him a paper. He was forced to act after reading what he found inside.
Familiar With It All
The Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office was home to many deputies, including Eddy Macintosh. Eddy, who was born and raised in New Orleans, has been an officer for the past 10 years.
As a result of his extensive service, Eddie had seen everything this region had to offer. He observed something that fateful morning that completely demolished all of his preconceived notions.
A Chilly Day
It was just another ordinary morning for Eddy. There was a light downpour on a frigid Tuesday in the middle of January. Eddy went for his usual run around the block, then returned home to shower.
After that, he suited up and went to work. He'd opted to skip breakfast at the last moment, thinking he'd be able to grab a food after signing in at the station. He had no idea what the rest of the day would bring.
Beginning His Day
A nearly empty station welcomed Eddy upon his arrival. There was just beginning to be an onset of daylight, and most cops had yet to report.
As he climbed into his cruiser for his daily commute across the parish, Eddy reviewed his goals for the day. It looked like he would have some free time for breakfast around noon.
Time For Food
The patrol went off without a hitch, just as Eddy had planned. Having cleared the parish most of the way by ten o'clock, he knew he'd be able to have breakfast at eleven o'clock as planned.
As quickly as the law permitted, Eddie sped to his favorite diner. He greeted the owner with a sincere hug and sat in a booth near the window. He glanced at the menu and noticed something.
It Was Empty
Nearly no one was in the diner despite the fact that it was nearly noon. Due to the popularity of this cafe in the neighborhood, Eddy found this information peculiar.
His gaze fell on a woman and a boy enjoying their breakfast in one of the diner's nooks. A group of bikers sat next to them and Eddy, drinking beers with their breakfast. However, there was more.
Something On Their Jackets
His brows rose as he looked at the bikers. They had patches depicting a fist against a red oval on their jackets. The red oval was surrounded by blurred words, and, despite not being able to clearly read them, Eddy understood what they said.
In his position as a police officer, Eddy had run into several biker gangs. His travels brought him into contact with benevolent bikers as well as those who sought trouble only. So what kind of bikers were these?
A Non-Profit Organization
"BACA," muttered Eddy as the waitress brought his lunch to him. In the past, he had collaborated with Bikers Against Child Abuse, a nonprofit international motorcycling organization.
While eating his pancakes and eggs, he recalled when he dusted off his motorcycle and participated in biker rallies to raise awareness against child abuse. Despite what was about to happen, Eddy chowed down his food with a smile on his face.
He Was Still Hungry
The bikers left as Eddie greeted them. Although his plate was nearly empty, he didn't feel stuffed. He contacted the waitress and asked for another round of food.
He took his dish and tucked down, relishing the delectable brunch. However, while he was emptying the second plate, he detected something about the mother and boy at the table.
He Knew Who She Was
In fact, Eddie recognized Heather Jennings, and he had just given her another ticket just a few days earlier for illegally parking outside the cemetery.
She was outraged, but he was simply doing his duty. Of course, Eddy had no idea that Heather's recent parking ticket would push her over the threshold.
Too Obvious Not To Notice
The woman was discussing something with the boy, staring directly at Eddy. There was a sparkle in the boy’s eyes that Eddy couldn’t place. Something was afoot.
Eddy finished his breakfast and requested his receipt, but instead of bringing the piece of paper to him, the waitress shuffled over to the woman’s table first.
Conflicted
Little did Eddy know, the boy at the table with his mother was extremely conflicted. He’d recognized the cop instantly and knew he was the one who had contributed to his single mother’s financial hardships.
At just nine years old, he wanted to approach the police officer and confront him about all his mother’s parking tickets. He’d watched his mom struggle, and this cop had only made things worse for them.
Hardships
Heather Jennings was a single mother with two kids and life had not been good to her so far. Just a few days ago, she’d received the tragic news about the untimely passing of her own father.
While it was hard enough to organize the funeral amid the grief and attend the funeral ceremony, things got even worse when a cop gave her a parking ticket on her way out the cemetery.
Injustice
For Heather, the timing of that fateful parking ticket couldn’t have been worse. She didn’t have the money to pay it, so she called the authorities and tried to get it thrown out in court.
However, things took an ironic turn when she got another parking ticket when she was leaving the courthouse. And things only got worse from there.
From Bad To Worse
Although Heather thought things couldn’t get worse for her that day, they did. When she got home from the courthouse, her landlord was waiting for her. When the landlord informed her that he was evicting her and her children, she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
Heather had tried to rectify her housing issue in court as well, but all she’d come home with was another parking ticket stuck to her car.
The Whole World Was Against Her
Heather was trying to make ends meet, but it felt like the whole world was against her. She’d received three parking tickets in a row, had been in and out of court, and she’d also just lost her father.
But the universe wasn’t done making life hard for Heather yet. The day after her father died, she found out that her son was sick.
15 Dollars
Heather took her son Donald to the doctor and couldn’t believe what his treatment was going to cost her.
After paying off her parking tickets, going into overdraft for her son’s medical bills, and scraping to secure a deposit for a new place to rent, the struggling mom only had 15 dollars to her name. At an all-time low, she decided to take that last 15 dollars and treat Donald to breakfast at Denny’s.
The Source Of Her Misery
As Heather sat in the booth at Denny’s with her son, she looked over and couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Sitting there calmly eating breakfast was a major source of her misery - it was none other than the cop who had given her all those parking tickets.
Ironically, Donald wanted to be a cop one day. But he recognized the man as the one who had caused his mom so much pain and knew he had to do something.
A Turn Of Events
Eddy’s eyes narrowed as he watched the woman and the boy converse with the waitress, who’d handed them the receipt Eddy was sure was supposed to be his.
He didn’t know what to make of the situation yet and thus sat back to assess everything before stepping in. Was the child in danger, or did the woman need some help he could offer? Eddy was deep in thought when he saw the boy approach him.
He Comes To His Table
As the boy’s mother looked on, the boy silently walked over, handed Eddy his receipt, and took a few steps back.
Eddy didn’t know what to make of the strange gesture at first, but quickly realized that his bill had been paid for. But there was more. Across the receipt was a message written by the boy. Eddy’s lips parted as he read it.
The Note
“I want to be you when I grow up,” the message began sweetly enough. “Thank you for your service, Donald.” Eddy was completely taken aback.
The cop’s breath caught in his chest. He had to do something. His immediate reaction was to return the favor somehow, but then he remembered who the boy’s mother was.
His Gesture
Overwhelmed by the message, Eddy lowered to his knee as the boy reached up to hug him. “Hi,” Eddy greeted him, and the boy responded with a bright smile.
“I’m Deputy Eddy Macintosh, and you must be Donald!” he exclaimed as he released the boy. Above them, Donald’s mom smiled proudly. What she revealed made Eddy’s eyes run wet with tears.
A Giving Soul
“He’s always talking about how he’ll be a great deputy when he grows up,” the mom said. “He saw you and insisted on paying for your breakfast.”
But that wasn’t all that she revealed. Little Donald’s birthday was less than a week away, and he’d used the money he’d been saving for the occasion to pay for Eddy’s meal. Eddy’s heart melted at this revelation, and he did the only thing he could on the spot.
His Hero
Before he’d gotten a change to speak with Heather, Eddy asked the waitress to take a picture of him and Donald. He also shared what happened with his fellow officers and family members.
Donald, despite the fact that the officer was partially responsible for his mother’s shortcomings, was thrilled to get a chance to speak to one of his heroes. But what Eddy did next was about to change everything.
Going Viral
Heather also posted the photo of her son and Eddy on her Facebook account, accompanied by the caption “One proud Momma. When your child asks if we can pay for an Officer’s Breakfast!!!! Writes him a message on his receipt.”
But Heather could never have imagined how much traction her single photo would get. Before long, her post had spread like wildfire.
Reactions
The reactions Donald, Heather, and Eddy received for the Facebook post were totally overwhelming. People applauded Donald for his kind gesture toward the police officer.
Even though he had been the cause of his mother's hardships that week, the little boy saw the bigger picture. But, although Donald took action to connect with the police officer, it was all part of a bigger plan.
Gaining Traction
The positive feedback for the now-viral post just kept rolling in. Despite her hardships, it was obvious to most that Heather had raised her boy well.
But it was only when the post made its way around other officers that things became wild. Eddy posted the photo on his own social media page, where it took the police department by storm.
Touched
“Well Noah you touched all of our hearts today,” LakeLand PD wrote on their Facebook page. “Your support means so much to all of the men and women who put on the uniform every day. We wish you the happiest of Birthdays!”
But Eddy wasn’t done. Now that he knew her situation, Eddy felt absolutely terrible. He knew he had an obligation to give something back to Donald’s struggling mom.
Redeeming Himself
Eddy contacted the captain of the Lakeland Police Department and begged him to drop some of Heather’s unpaid parking tickets.
Of course, the captain was touched when he heard the story and decided to waive all of Heather’s fines. But it wasn’t just the captain who was touched by what had happened in Denny’s that day.
Appreciation
It wasn’t long before Donald’s heartwarming note had spread to police departments in almost every state.
Police officers from around the country took to social media to thank the boy for his act of kindness, and they all told him he’d make a fine officer one day. But the story wasn’t over for Eddy yet.
Changed His Life
The moment Donald handed Eddy the note, the gesture changed his perspective on life forever. “It meant everything,” Eddy said.
“It meant that I’m supposed to wake up every morning and put on this uniform and go out there and do what I do. You know? It means that I need to keep trying to be a good example to all these young guys.”