Mocking an Old Man
"Look at that guy with the torn clothes ... does he really think he can afford to buy a car? I bet he can't even afford the key," smirked Danny while pointing at an old man who entered the dealership. "You shouldn't talk that way," responded Kim, visibly disgusted at the remarks coming from her colleague. "Ha, ha .. you know it's true!" Danny laughed, not knowing that he was about to have a life-changing experience.
The man approached Kim and Danny with a hopeful look on his face. “Is this the new Rolls Royce Dawn?” he asked, clearly impressed. Danny nudged Kim with a devious smile on his face. “I’m sorry, man, but you’re in the way of people who can actually afford this car.” Little did he know that his words would come back to haunt him!
Usual Day at Work
A Rolls Royce dealership in Seattle was abuzz as people in designer suits kept flocking to the showroom because a new offering from Rolls Royce–the Dawn was being launched. The air was alive with excitement, but things would take an unexpected turn.
Two sales associates, Danny and Kim, discussed the commission they might receive if they sold the Dawn. The commission cap was set at a whopping $10,000! Both of them had no clue that their mere talks would soon bear fruit, but not without a devious twist!
A Man of Aspirations
Danny had big dreams. He was determined to sell at least one unit of the car so that he could claim the $10,000 commission and put down a deposit on the luxury bachelor pad he'd been eyeing for the past month.
He was also hoping to be promoted to regional sales manager, and he knew that closing this deal would earn him that title! He began checking out potential candidates with a shrewd look in his eyes. That's when the old man stepped in.
A Poor Man Walks In
While Danny and Kim discussed what they would do with the commission money if they managed to sell a Rolls Royce Dawn, a rather common-looking man walked inside the showroom, strolling his way to the car.
He definitely looked odd because everyone else present was adorned in designer clothes, from head to toe. The room seemed to quieten at the sight of the man as everyone wondered what he was doing there. Needless to say, it was not the most welcoming of places for him.
Shows Interest in the Car
He might have looked ordinary and poor, but there was something mysterious about him. He walked towards the newly launched car and stared at the vehicle, admiring her timeless beauty.
Danny was annoyed by his presence and stormed over to the man, "Do you want something?" he asked rather rudely. To everyone's surprise, the old man pointed towards the car and exclaimed with joy, 'I want that!'
Danny Heckles the Poor Man
Since he wasn’t dressed extravagantly, Danny laughed at him in front of everyone. Deeply embarrassed, the old man looked down. Danny didn’t stop at that and went on to say “That’s a $350,000 car sir, I don’t think that you can even afford its spare wheel, let alone the whole car!”
As soon as Danny said it, the old man's cheeks turned red, and he looked around in embarrassment. Everyone was now staring at the exchange!
Kim Barges Into the Conversation
Kim watched the exchange with a pit in her stomach. She knew what it was like to be laughed at for being poor. Even though the old man didn’t look like he could afford it, Kim still offered to show him the car.
In this day and age, kindness is becoming extinct. The old man seemed pleased by Kim’s compassion, and she had no idea what was in store for her.
A Potential, Rich Customer Walks In
A bald man, dressed in an Armani suit and flaunting his gold-plated Rolex watch, slowly made his way inside the showroom. He blended right in the extravagant dealership, and he looked like he could surely afford a Rolls Royce.
He walked towards the car and expressed his interest in buying it. "The Rolls Royce Dawn is up for sale, isn't it?" inquired the man. "Yes, Sir. Right this way," replied Danny. He was swept away by the man's presence, but he had no idea that there is always more than what meets the eye.
Danny Gets Swept Away
The thought of claiming the colossal commission and getting the promotion blinded Danny as he greeted the gentleman dressed in suave clothes. Danny was pretty much convinced that he would be the new manager, thanks to this potential customer.
It didn’t take much time for Danny to convince the gentleman to buy the car as they proceeded inside Danny’s office to sort out the required paperwork. Outside, the poor man was still standing in front of the car, looking at the gorgeous beauty on wheels.
Kim Attends to the Poor Man
While Danny was aspirational, Kim’s definitive trait was kindness. She couldn’t leave the poor man behind, unattended. So she offered the poor man a brief walkaround of the car he had been eyeing for such a long time!
The old man’s eyes glittered with hope as he was slowly recovering from the devastating embarrassment that he had to face at the hands of Danny. But he would soon get his comeuppance.
The Conversation Unfolds
The poor old man soon gets to know the kind, humane side of Kim as she greets him with a sparkling smile. Before commencing with the walkaround of the car, the old man asks Kim, “If you know that I am not going to buy this car, why are you wasting your time?”
To which, Kim replied “I have learned one thing in life. Never judge someone by their outer appearance.” She had no idea that this popular saying will turn into reality a few minutes later.
The Numbers
The old man had a knack for cars, and he was eager to know the specs of the Dawn. Kim, unlike Danny, was catering to his questions like a true salesperson as she replied, “the car that you see here gets a 6.5-liter V-12 engine that puts down 563hp and 820nm of torque. That fast enough for you?”
The old man seemed quite impressed by the numbers but even more so by Kim. She had no idea that her noble yet unintentional efforts were leaving a strong mark on the old man and that a reward was looming.
Poor Man Gets Flabbergasted
The ‘ordinary’ man wanted to take a peek inside the cabin too. Being the absolute angel that she was, Kim let him take a good look inside at the interior of the ultra-luxurious Dawn.
As soon as he opened the door, the man knew that he had to have this car! It had features he had never seen before, and he was eager to get behind the wheels. There was just one major problem...
Rich People and Their Rich-y Talks
Inside Danny’s office, he and the potential customer were having a good time conversing about the multi-millionaire lifestyle. The wealthy gentleman let Danny know how he wanted to look and feel rich all the time.
Danny, too, blinded by his own aspirations, was keenly listening to the whole conversation. Danny might have thought that everything was going according to his plan, but it wasn’t so as he was about to discover something disturbing.
No Approval
After getting an affirmation from the rich fellow, Danny was quick enough to set the ball rolling. He started filling out all the paperwork but as soon as he filed for a loan an error occurred.
The system wasn’t accepting his card, but Danny kept on trying, hoping to get the loan approval in time so that he could earn the commission and the job!
Rich Man Realizes Something
As Danny kept fiddling around with the system, the rich man’s patience was reaching the brink. Having constantly failed, Danny asked the customer to pay the $350,000 sum in cash.
As soon as the gentleman heard the meteoric amount, he couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh. “I don’t have that kind of money. I can’t even make that much money in the next 15 years! I am actually broke.”
Danny’s Disappointment
Danny, who was very hopeful that he would make a big sale that day, had to taste utter disappointment when the apparently ‘rich’ guy disclosed that he was actually broke. Danny walked outside his cabin, the gentleman following him like a lost puppy.
After Danny bid a sad goodbye to the ‘potential’ customer, he walked towards Kim and the poor man, who were still deeply engulfed in a conversation.
Poor Man Stands and Observes
Kim was telling the old man all the features of the newly launched car. Seeing Danny approaching them, they both stopped talking for a brief moment. They noticed that instead of his usually cocky attitude, Danny looked disappointed.
"Are you okay, Danny?" Kim wondered out loud. Even the old gentleman seemed concerned. Danny looked at them with a frown, now he would have to reveal what happened in his office.
Danny Breaks the News
Mustering up all the courage he had and swallowing his pride down his throat, Danny broke the news to Kim that the rich man turned out to be broke.
Kim and the old man both gazed at Danny as he was still recovering from the impact of his dreams getting shattered into tiny little pieces. The look in the old man’s eyes was oddly satisfying, as if he was about to give Danny another shocker.
Poor Man Offers to Buy the Car
Danny was whining in front of Kim that he almost sold the car to the gentleman and that had to count for something. While the two salesmen were discussing business, the old man was running his hands on the glittering midnight blue shade of the Rolls Royce.
The old man called out for Kim when he heard their troubles, and guess what? He offered to buy the car! "I'll take it!"
Danny Humiliates Him Again
When the old man offered to buy the car, Danny looked at him in disbelief and not learning from his mistakes; he started laughing at him again!
Danny exclaimed, “Have you ever looked at the way you dress! There is no way in this big, wide planet that your loan could get approved!” The old man stood in the corner patiently, but instead of looking down because of embarrassment, he smiled at Danny as he was about to disclose something that would sweep both the salesman off their feet!
Cash, Not Loan!
Kim tried to calm Danny down, hoping that he wouldn’t cross the line in humiliating him. Having been heckled by Danny again, the old man blurted, “Will $350,000 in cash do?”
To back his claim of having such a large amount readily available, he opened the briefcase he had been carrying all this time. The case was full of cash, and what happened afterward will definitely send you in a state of wonder!
Danny Questions the Cash
Seeing as much as $350,000 in cash, Danny was shocked at first because he couldn’t process the fact that an ordinary-looking man dressed in simple clothes could actually afford a Rolls Royce, and that too, by paying the total amount; in cash!
Danny started cross-questioning the man and enquiring about the source of the money. The old man kept a wide smile plastered on his face as if mocking the naïve Danny. He soon made the big revelation.
The Big Revelation
It seems like the poor man grew tired of all the embarrassment and all the cross-questioning since the moment he set foot inside the showroom. He finally decided to show his true identity.
“Son, I’m a multi-millionaire and I own a chain of 5-star hotels across the nation.” As soon as he let these words out, Danny’s eyes popped out as he waited for the man to complete his story.
Reason For Dressing Like a Common Man
When asked why he dresses like an ordinary man, the old man smiled and replied, “I want people to help me, acknowledge my presence for who I am, not for my money.”
These wise words rang like thunder through Danny’s ears as he couldn’t help but feel guilty about it. On the other hand, Kim had a cheerful face as if she had a clue of what was in store for her. Except, she didn’t!
The reward for Being Kind
Being kind to someone should come naturally, despite their appearance or social status. Kim seemed to know this fact by heart and the old man was very pleased with the young lady.
“I know your boss, and I also know that the position for the regional manager is vacant. I’ll see what I can do for you.” He said to Kim while she was still processing all the things that happened. Danny, on the other hand, was about to receive Karma’s strike.
Not Satisfied with Danny
While the old man was all praises for Kim, he wasn’t pleased with how Danny treated him first. Not at all happy! He turned to Danny and boomed, “Get the paperwork ready, son! And here’s all the cash!”
“I’m going to talk to your boss regarding you too!” He added. Danny knew that he had committed a terrible mistake as he judged a book by its cover.
Lesson Learned
Kim was eager enough to stick it to Danny, albeit in a playful manner, as she tapped his shoulder and said, “Who’s embarrassed now? And guess who’s going off with a cheque of 10 grand in her pocket?”
Needless to say, Danny was disappointed with himself, but he learned a valuable lesson that day to never judge someone by their outer appearance. However, his lesson was far from over!
Kim Becomes Regional Manager
As it turns out, Kim and Danny’s Boss, the owner of the Rolls Royce dealership, was actually a very good friend of the old man. In fact, they were batchmates in college!
Knowing how well Kim treated his friend, the Boss was kind enough to acknowledge her service and make her his organization's regional manager.
Danny Gets Fired
On the other hand, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for Danny as all hell broke loose on him. His boss called him inside the office and made him realize what a stupid mistake he had committed.
His boss made sure that he had learned his lesson, and in order to do so, he demoted him to another dealership that sold low-end cars. But was the old man done with Danny?
The Man Pays a Visit
One fine day when Danny was living his mundane life as a ‘regular’ salesman, the old man walked in again. This time around, he wasn’t dressed in normal clothes but draped in an expensive suit. At first, Danny couldn’t recognize the man as he marked his entry in style.
Danny soon realized that this was the same man he disrespected and, as a result, got a demotion. Despite this, he went ahead and greeted the man with a hearty smile, hoping he could ask the man for forgiveness.
The Changed Danny
It didn’t take long for the old man to realize that Danny was a changed man. He had this warmth around him, and his attitude towards the old man was rather positive and kind.
It was partly because he knew the reality about the old man but also, that particular incident changed him as a person and transformed the way he looked at things. The arrogance that he had seemed to vanish into thin air.
Job Offer
Realizing that Danny had drastically changed, the old man felt a little bad for initiating his demotion. He didn’t want Danny to suffer at a sub-par dealership, and to make up for it; he did something that filled Danny’s heart to the brim.
Apart from owning a chain of luxury hotels, the old man also had a stake in a Bentley dealership in Seattle. To Danny’s surprise, the old man offered him a job there. Would Danny take the offer or stay at the same dealership for complete redemption?
Danny Gets a New Job!
After contemplating for a while, Danny agreed to take the job. He couldn’t have been more thankful to the man for not only teaching him a life-altering lesson but also turning his life around for good.
Danny felt at home at the new Bentley dealership because he might be arrogant, but he was rather skillful in selling luxury cars. After starting his new job, he received a call from Kim one day.
The Meetup
Kim called Danny to check on him, and as soon as she found out about the old man’s visit to meet Danny at his new job, she insisted he meet her for dinner the same day.
Despite spending years working together, all they could talk about was the old man and his endeavors. He had a deep impact on both their lives but for good!
The Lesson
This particular incident is a testimony to the fact that we should not judge people based on their looks and outer appearances alone. There’s more, much more to a person than what meets the eye!
Moreover, being kind goes a long way, and it does pay off one day. On the other hand, being arrogant will not get you far, and chances are, before seeking redemption, you might have to hit rock bottom.