Luann ordered a Big Mac and a soda and took a seat by the window. She was already having a bad day and thought that some food would cheer her up.
But as she was about to take a bite, she noticed something that shocked her to the core.
Stranger
She saw a man lying down in the booth in front of her. He looked like a drunk or a junkie, and Luann was bothered by his presence.
Suddenly, she wasn't hungry anymore. Irritated, she approached the cashier and demanded to speak with the manager.
Talking With The Manager
"I want to talk with the manager," she demanded. Once the manager got there, Luann complained about the man sleeping in the booth next to her.
However, the manager wasn't surprised by the news. "Yeah, I'm aware," he said.
Furious
Luann couldn't believe her ears. The manager wasn't listening to her and basically told her to calm down and enjoy her food.
Furious, Luann decided to take a picture of the sleeping man and post it on social media. But the reactions she received from Facebook users weren't what she expected...
The Post
“Just another reason for me to leave Fayetteville!” she wrote.
“I was in the McDonald’s in the middle of town, and I saw this guy sleeping in the booth!” “Their response was ‘Oh yeah, we know, hee hee. It’s OK.’ And I said, ‘Not really, but whatever.’” Her post caught the attention of a lot of people.
Simon Childs
Some people recognized the man in the picture. His name was Simon Childs.
He worked as a fry cook at the same McDonald's that Luann had visited that day. He had been going through a difficult time for the past few weeks, and the management was aware of it.
Homeless
Simon worked two shifts in one day and rested in the booth during his break. He needed extra cash to provide for his four-month-old child.
To make matters even worse, Simon was homeless. He couldn't afford to rent an apartment or even a small room in the city. So when he found out about Luann's post, he was devastated.
It Hurt Him
“It hurt me to see my picture up there,” Simon said in an interview.
By this point, Luann had received so much hate on Facebook that she couldn't deal with it anymore. She deleted her Facebook account and tried to forget about it all. But then, the morning after her post went viral, Simon came to work to find an unexpected sight.
A Surprise
“I didn’t think the community would even care enough about me to do that, but they care,” Simon said.
He found piles of formula, baby diapers, and other supplies at the restaurant. But this wasn't all...
Theo and Xavier Thomas
When the owners of the restaurant Fusion Chefs Eatery, Theo and Xavier Thomas, heard about Simon's story, they knew they needed to help him out.
They contacted him and explained that he could borrow their car anytime he wanted so he could attend job interviews.
A Fresh Haircut
Then, a barber reached out to Simon and offered to give him a fresh haircut to help him land a new job.
“Simon’s story just touched our hearts,” Xavier said. Simon was grateful for all the help he received, but sadly, he still didn't have a place to stay.
Donations
Soon, people began donating toward hotel stays so that Simon and his child would have a roof under their heads.
Then, after someone had set up a GoFundMe account for Simon, he began receiving a lot of donations.
Grateful
“Everything I get, I want to work for it,” said Simon.
“I actually want to use everything I’m getting from this and help other homeless people.” He was grateful for all the help he received and wanted to pay it forward. But what happened to Luann after her Facebook post had gone viral?
Ashamed
Luann was ashamed of herself after hearing Simon's story. She wanted to meet him in person and apologize for her horrible mistake.
“I didn’t want to hurt him,” she said in an interview.
Simon's Words
“I’m sorry. Because, you know, that horrified me. That breaks my heart for you,” Luann explained to him.
But Simon wasn't angry with her. “I’m not homeless, not now, thanks to Luann,” he said. “I’m no longer sleeping in a McDonald’s, so that’s good. I feel great.” He had recently accepted a new job in construction with a higher salary and more employee benefits.