An Elderly Cleaning Lady Was Fired for Taking Leftover Food to Her Son, But When He Graduated…
In a town far from the city, there was a quite comfortable cabin where Angela lived, surrounded by plants and animals in a huge forest. The young woman, barely 18 years old, fell in love with Marcos, an elegant young man from a landed family. Their dream was to have many children who would play in the fields and learn about the businesses that their father managed. However, life did not bless them with children in time, and they underwent expensive and painful treatments with the aim of conceiving. Because of that disappointment, they lived in conflicts, fights, and discussions that only cut the bond of love they both had.
Marcos, annoyed, came home demanding that Angela didn’t fulfill her duties as a woman to give him children and that she only dedicated herself to spending their money on useless treatments. Every weekend, he left home for the bar. When he returned home after midnight, he shouted at the poor woman, “You are a useless mule! You can’t even give me a child. Get out of my sight! I can’t believe that you can’t even give me a child. I am the jester of my friends and families because I married a mule.” The poor woman shuddered, crying in silence.
This behavior lasted for almost 20 years, until Angela, with all her strength, put an end to her marriage because she could not tolerate that Marcos had beaten and humiliated her, saying, “I will go with another woman, with many women who love me and could give me children,” in his state of drunkenness. The poor woman was devastated because she never imagined that the man she loved, and with whom she had been struggling to be able to conceive, had beaten her.
Angela had decided to improve her quality of life. She looked for a job as a supervisor in a dairy company. She was doing quite well and decided to celebrate her 38th birthday with her friends and family. Everything was planned; it would be in the field with large pots of food and an orchestra. However, it did not turn out as she imagined, because on the morning of her birthday, Angela felt very bad. She was dizzy and vomiting so much that she could not even stand up. She called her best friend, Rosa, who took her to the hospital, suspending the celebration.
The woman underwent analysis and checkups. When the doctor invited her to the consultation, he gave her the news that she was four months pregnant. When she listened to the doctor, her mind became cloudy, her body shuddered, and the only thing that she thought was: “How is it possible? I’ve been trying to get pregnant for years with medications and interventions, and I never succeeded. And right now that I’m alone, I’m pregnant? God, please enlighten me. I don’t know whether to call Marcos and tell him, but the truth is that I don’t want anything with him anymore, because in all the years I’ve been married, I’ve never felt as whole as I do now.”
Leaving the office, she invited her friends to her house to talk about what happened. The girls, quite intrigued, without hesitation accompanied her. When she gave them the news, a scream was heard. The friends were happy about the news, but they did not hesitate to tell her: “Angela, beautiful friend, congratulations for such a valuable miracle that you carry in your womb. But before you decide anything, I would like to tell you that after years, I see you at your best. Don’t waste it. I know that with your work you can support yourself and the child. Also, look, we are the aunts of your little one, so please think about it,” said Rosa, her best friend.
“Angela, the last time, Marcos behaved violently, and I have no doubt that this behavior will be repeated. So please, seek wisdom in your heart, and I will tell you that an absent father is better than a father setting a bad example,” added Susanna.
The words of her friends strengthened Angela so much that, with great affection, she gave her opinion: “Girls, I thank you with all my heart for what you are telling me. I really understand everything you say to me, and I’m not going to go back to Marcos. He wasn’t faithful to me, and I can’t forget that I was alone. The treatments he gave me damaged my health, and he never stayed with me to take care of me. What’s more, he was always going out to drink. The truth is, I don’t want to go through that again, neither for me nor my child. I won’t allow it. I will raise the child alone.”
Time passed, and little Ricky was born—a healthy and robust boy who grew up with his mother. She continued working in different agricultural jobs and spending quality time with her son. The boy was quite dedicated to his studies; his grades were outstanding, being the pride of his mother. Many birthdays and gifts passed. The boy’s aunts and friends of Angela enjoyed time with him, along with their own children. They went on trips, walks, and more. Angela felt so comfortable with her son and her life in the field that she had no intention of changing it at all.
In the blink of an eye, 17 years had passed. The boy was already a brave and loving young man with his mother. One afternoon, while they both enjoyed ice cream on their furniture, the young man told his mother, “Mom, I’m thinking of studying marketing. What do you think?” asked Ricky. Angela said that she was supporting her son 100% and she would continue like that. Quite moved, they both hugged each other, sealing that promise.
In two months, they were preparing their bags to travel to the city. Angela sold her properties, bought a small house in the city, and started working in cleaning, because what she had studied and her work experience was agricultural, and in the city, the offers were not ambitious. Her income was quite low; however, she never told her son that there was a need because it was evident that the young man made an effort, studying every day. Ricky’s university life was quite remarkable. From his basic studies, he was a young man who related very well with the teachers because they considered him a brilliant student who stood out in everything.
Unfortunately, the years had passed for Angela too, and when she turned 60, her bosses gave her a dismal letter: because of her age, she could no longer work in cleaning. The poor old woman asked to speak with the boss to tell him that she could continue working without any problem and that she needed the job. However, the boss replied, quite ashamed, that he could not keep her at work because of her age. Because she was over 60 years old, she was considered a vulnerable person and could acquire an illness for which the company would have to take responsibility, and he was not willing to assume anything extra.
Quite dismayed, the old woman shed some tears because she felt useless. She truly felt she was a woman who could not keep the promise of supporting her son when he was in his last year of university and when the expenses for graduating would be higher. Sitting on a bench, she cried silently, regretting being an old woman. Taking courage, she walked slowly through the city with the determination to find a job. However, the truth was that at her age, everything was quite complex. In the interviews, the typical phrase was, “We will call you.” The disappointment and despair left her overwhelmed with frustration; that was not what she expected. In her heart, she kept thinking about Ricky, her son, and his graduation next year. She even wanted to look for Marcos to support Ricky, but she was afraid that he would humiliate her and even humiliate her own son.
She spent many hours walking until she arrived at a restaurant where she asked if there would be a position. She explained that she had previously worked in cleaning and was willing to do anything in order to get a job. The owner, who was quite interested, took advantage of the old lady by hiring her to wash dishes, pots, and pans when necessary, at a much lower cost than what she should have actually been paid. Being the only option, the old woman accepted without hesitation.
At the beginning, they treated her with a lot of respect, but after a month and a half, the owner always threatened to fire her, asked her to do overtime without pay, and humiliated her while she washed the dishes. The woman, with her head down, continued to perform her duty. When she got home, she cried because of the humiliation she received.
She took some leftover food from the restaurant out of her bag, which she heated to feed her son when he returned from studying. When she heard that her son was coming, she quickly changed her countenance. She served the food and asked her son about his day. He told her how great it had been to study every day, and she listened to her son happily. The young man, without knowing about the food situation, told his mother that now he would go to her work to accompany her to eat at the restaurant.
The old woman, a little surprised, replied, “Ah, of course, my Ricky, it’s what I want the most. Although you know that it is not necessary, my child.”
The young man said, “Of course it is, Mom. I love you very much, and what I want most is to accompany you so you don’t forget me.” They both laughed heartily.
In the following days, Ricky would arrive at the restaurant at lunchtime. When the old woman saw him, she would take out two leftover containers for her and her son, inviting him to eat behind the restaurant where they were hidden. The young man asked her why she had that attitude of hiding. The old woman evaded him, saying, “I don’t want them to call me. I want to spend time with you, my son.” Ricky, smiling, said, “Oh, Mommy, you’re jealous about your son.” They both smiled again.
The months passed that way until, on one occasion, the restaurant manager watched the old woman collect the leftovers from the plates and fill them into containers. He followed her and discovered that she was sitting behind the restaurant with a young man. Very furious, he approached her, shouting, “How can it be possible that you, old woman, abuse my trust when you know that everything here is mine? You should be inside washing everything instead of being here playing with the food! And who is this boy? Another starving beggar just like you?”
The totally embarrassed old lady cried, apologizing, looked at her son, and quickly entered the restaurant behind her boss. Seeing such a scene, Ricky threw away his plate of food and furiously ran from that place aimlessly. The old woman, from the washing room, only saw him walk away. She couldn’t go out after her son because she knew that was her only job option.
The young man ran with his heart pumping hard until he reached a park, where he cried without noticing the other people. After half an hour, Angela appeared and sat next to her son, asking him how he was. The deeply moved young man told her that she shouldn’t withstand this type of abuse, to which the old woman replied: “Ricky, my son, I want you to know something. Forgive me for having made you go through so much humiliation. I didn’t want you to see that. But you just have to focus on your studies, son. Forget about this. Let me look for a new job. Now they fired me, but I know I’ll find one. Stop crying, my little one, all this will pass.”
“But Mother, how can you ask me to forget what I’ve seen if that has carved my heart? I can’t forget that you have subjected yourself to such injustice because of me, and I am a fool not to see it. I will stop studying, Mother. I will dedicate myself to giving you the best because I love you. I value everything you do for me, and I understand that your sacrifice was high when you left your customs, your people, and your stability to venture with me here. I’ve been a bad son. Please forgive me, Mother, I owe everything to you,” Ricky said, crying.
The mother, angry at what her son said, replied: “Ricky, this conversation has ended. I will not tolerate what you are telling me. When you were born, son, I knew you would be special because I conceived you myself in a miracle, and I also knew that it would be a challenge to raise you. Yes, the change we have made has not been what I thought it would be, but it is fine. I’ve accepted it because I love you, and because I know that you are a courageous man who is going to move forward for himself and for the love of me, your mother. So dry your tears and go to study. Leave me here, and I will solve everything.”
That scene in the park was seen by Pedro, Ricky’s university professor, who came to comfort him, telling him that his mother was absolutely right and that the worst decision he could make today would be to stop studying when he was only months away from completing his degree. The next day, they called the young man to the Department of Development and Well-being to offer him a full scholarship for the remaining cycle of studies that he was missing, in addition to a large discount for his degree fees, in the name of Professor Pedro. The young man, quite grateful, accepted, promising himself to be the best for the love of his mother.
And so it was. While he was studying, he worked, on the recommendation of his teacher, in different audiovisual campaigns for which he was paid and could support his home. When he graduated, he invested in a small marketing company where he was in charge of its brands. He got a substantial loan, which he invested in buying a piece of land right in front of the restaurant where his mother used to work as a dishwasher. He also opened a restaurant that flowed progressively to success, where Angela administered and applied fair policies, a fair salary, and employment for the elderly.
The former boss of the old woman, now envious, could do nothing but sell his business to Angela. At the opening of the new restaurant, Ricky gave the opening words, hugging his mother and assuring everyone that everything he had acquired, and even what would come in the future, was due to the efforts of his angel on Earth: his mother.
