“What did you just say to me?” Daisy could feel the hairs on the back of her arm stand up as she looked into the homeless man’s eyes. She could tell instantly that he had let something slip and was quickly trying to find a way to backpedal the conversation.
After weeks of being friendly, it dawned on the young woman she didn’t know who this man was... There was no one around, and before he could say anything else, Daisy decided to trust her gut and the alarm bells ringing in her head. As he reached out towards her, all she could do was shout, “LIAR!” and hope someone heard her!
A Familiar Commute
Daisy was a British waitress that walked to work every day. She lived very close to her restaurant and passed the same shops and stands on her commute. There was one sight in particular that pulled at her heart every time she saw it.
Without fail, the old man was always sitting outside. He never asked for money but something in his eyes told Daisy that he lived a hard life. One day he called out a familiar greeting but something made Daisy freeze on the sidewalk.
Not Everyone Focused On Kindness
While Daisy always stopped to chat or at least give the old man a quick smile, she witnessed other people quickly brush him off. In a busy city, it was normal to ignore people asking for change but this old man struck a chord in Daisy’s heart.
On some days she would see teenagers knock him over or laugh at him and while Daisy always yelled at them she felt helpless. When she looked into the old man’s eyes, it was clear he had something on his mind. Daisy would have no idea how to handle the secret he eventually told her.
A Michelin Star Experience
Daisy was in school learning how to be a chef. While she attended university she also worked part-time at a fancy restaurant in downtown London. The restaurant’s food was so good that it received two Michelin stars.
Daisy always looked forward to seeing the old man on her way to work but she wanted to do more. She decided one day to give him a gift from her heart but never expected the consequences to affect the rest of her life.
The Best Things In Life Are Free
While Daisy prided herself on being frugal and saving as much as possible, every night at the restaurant she served guests who had more money than she could imagine. As she pocketed her tips it was a painful reminder of the differences in society.
Only a wall separated this fine dining establishment from homeless citizens. Daisy wondered when the last time the old man had a warm meal was. She couldn’t give him a lot of money but would he value this gift even more?
She Had One Thing To Offer
Daisy was studying to become a chef and wanted to give the old man a warm meal. She was living off cheap food herself and formed a plan to take ingredients from work. It had a big risk attached.
If Daisy was caught taking ingredients from work she would lose her job, and risk not finishing her degree. She made up her mind to take a couple of small things every night but didn’t realize she was already in hot water.
A Moral Dilemma
Daisy felt like it was the right thing to cook this man a special dinner but felt awful about stealing from work. She genuinely loved her job and the task filled her with anxiety. Plotting how to steal small ingredients made her hands tremble and her back sweat, making one of her managers very suspicious.
Daisy didn’t have extra money to spend on buying the old man food and hoped that she could pull off her master plan. It wasn’t until the last second she realized she was caught red-handed.
Timing It Just Right
One night while Daisy was finishing up she heard the kitchen manager yelling at the staff. She knew he would be distracted for a few moments so she could go in the fridge and take what she needed.
She only had a small window and needed to be sure he wouldn’t catch her. As she heard him begin a familiar lecture, she took a deep breath and took the biggest risk of her life.
She Needed Specific Ingredients
Daisy had already calculated what ingredients she would need and took the risk to go into the walk-fridge with her bag. It was a wild amount of work to do to feed a total stranger but something in her heart wouldn't let her give up on this man. She was busy calculating measurements when a sound on the fridge door made her stop.
It was a knock on the door that could end Daisy's entire career. She felt her body go into panic mode and needed to do anything to avoid being caught. She couldn’t pretend to stay in the fridge any longer and realized that she had sealed her fate the minute she stepped into the fridge.
There Was Only One Rule
In the restaurant, no one was allowed in the fridge or freezer alone. It was a rule that you had to bring a buddy into either space. Daisy heard the knock on the fridge door and knew there was no way for her to explain the situation.
From the other side of the door a voice yelled, “Who’s in there?” and the knocking grew louder. Daisy had no escape and she had risked everything for a total stranger. Time seemed to stand still as Daisy tried to rack her brain for a solution.
A Reputation To Depend On
The head chef had scanned the kitchen and realized he was missing one of his servers. Every night the wait staff team helped clean up the kitchen but he was one person short. Then he also noticed one more strange detail.
He ran a clean and honest kitchen, but no one was allowed in his fridges or freezers without a partner. One of the doors was slightly ajar and anger began to boil in his gut as he connected the dots. With a closed fist he banged on the door and gave a warning to whoever was in there to come out and explain themselves.
A Crumbling Miracle
All Daisy could do was push herself into the furthest corner and hope the head chef wouldn’t notice her in the shadows. She pushed as hard as possible wishing to turn into stone and disappear. Instead, she found herself on the other side of the kitchen, back in the restaurant.
The wall had crumbled and Daisy found herself outside the fridge in the restaurant hallways. Without a second thought, she grabbed her bag and ran out to quickly get home and hopefully not get caught. After risking her entire career, Daisy knew whatever she cooked for the homeless man would be perfect.
Victory Tasted Sweet
When Daisy got home that night, she didn’t waste another second and got to work. The recipe she wanted to create would take a couple of hours but she was energized from nearly being caught at work.
Each minute that passed in the kitchen was another step towards the best thing Daisy had cooked. She knew this was going to be a delicious surprise for the old man and it filled her heart with love. After Daisy heard his response to her food, she would never want to cook again!
A Week’s Worth Of Food
The recipe Daisy made was enough for her to drop off a warm meal to the old man every day for a week. She made sure to keep the food hot and loved seeing the smile on his face as he took the first bite.
Daisy didn’t consider that it wasn’t just the old man that was enjoying her food. The aroma passed down the sidewalk and surprised everyone walking nearby. One person recognized the dish and followed the trail right back to Daisy’s front door.
An Unexpected Visitor
Daisy was surprised when she opened her front door and came face to face with her head chef. He had smelled an amazing meal around the corner from his restaurant and caught her giving the food to the homeless man. The chef knew instantly this dish was made from the ingredients that mysteriously disappeared from his restaurant only days before.
He told Daisy she was done and would never work in a restaurant again. Daisy was in shock and decided to go have a chat with one person who always listened to her no matter what.
An Unlikely Friendship
Since Daisy had seen the homeless man every day she considered him one of her friends in the big city. She was far from home and needed to tell someone about this terrible news and the repercussions of her good deed.
The old man was at his normal corner but as soon as he saw Daisy’s face he knew something was wrong. Before she could speak he stood up and said, “Daisy what happened?”, but Daisy had never told the old man her name. A cold truth suddenly hit her and she realized the terrible mistake she made.
How Do You Know My Name?
While Daisy’s eyes went wide, the old man realized his mistake and quickly tried to explain the situation. After a few different excuses, his shoulders slumped forward and he agreed to tell her the truth. For weeks Daisy had spoken to him every day, but would she believe the next words he told her?
He took a deep breath and cast his eyes down. He began to stutter but then quietly told Daisy, he was her grandfather. The young woman was shocked! How was this possible - especially since her grandfather had passed away years ago…
An Unbelievable Story
The old man revealed that he was Daisy’s grandfather and even told her moments from her childhood only he would know. When he had left to go overseas and not return to his family had assumed the worse and had a funeral. The truth was, he had been injured and unable to contact his family.
When he returned to England and looked up his wife, he realized she was re-married and he found his death certificate at the local library. He didn’t know how to explain his behavior but was shocked when he saw his granddaughter walk by him on the sidewalk.
A Guardian Angel
He had stayed at this particular location just to see Daisy every day and loved hearing about her accomplishments. She was always kind to him and felt incredibly proud of his amazing and thoughtful granddaughter.
Daisy was numb with shock, but she knew one thing he had to do right away! She opened her cell phone and with shaking fingers dialed her grandmother with news that might give her a heart attack!
An Unexpected Family Reunion
Even though Daisy lost her job, she got back a grandfather from beyond the grave. As soon as his wife heard his voice she burst into tears and paid for a cab to bring him to her house. Her new husband was in shock at the situation but the family agreed Daisy’s grandfather could stay with them until he got back on his feet.
For years he had lived a life of solitude and homelessness, and the old man broke down in tears several times. It was unbelievable and Daisy realized her sacrifice had been worth every risk just to give him a hug and have him back in her life.