George Miller was the proud owner of one of the most prestigious and renowned restaurants in Chicago, “The Fisherman’s Feast.” George had inherited the restaurant from his father, who had inherited it from his own father.
Although George had an extremely efficient manager, William Parker, he closely supervised the restaurant, often showing up at odd hours when the staff least expected it. That’s how he discovered that Maria was stealing.
The kitchen usually closed at 10:30 PM, at which point the cleaning staff took over. The chef and his assistants went home for their well-earned rest, leaving the kitchen spotless.
Dirty glasses, plates, and cutlery were collected and placed in the large industrial dishwashers by a team of three people. By the next day, everything was clean and ready for use.
One night, George walked in at 1:00 AM, heading to the back of the kitchen to check on his prized wine collection, which “The Fisherman’s Feast” was famous for.
As he passed through the kitchen, he noticed one of the women scraping leftover steak from a plate into a tray inside a plastic bag tied to her waist under her apron. When she was done, she carefully rinsed the plate and loaded it into the dishwasher.
She grabbed the next plate and did the same. This time, the leftovers were an almost intact portion of Chicken Kiev. George stepped back and watched. The woman looked to be in her forties, with a thin, drawn face.
As she worked, she hummed softly to herself. “Maria!” George was startled to hear the sharp tones of his manager, William Parker. “Stop stealing and finish up. I want to lock up!”
The woman flushed, lowered her head, and closed the dishwasher door, poured in the detergent, and started the steel machine. Then she hurried off to the locker room while another woman began mopping the kitchen floor.
George, who had been carefully hiding, stepped out and waited in the shadows near the back door. Soon, the three cleaning staff exited, followed by Parker, who was muttering under his breath.
The woman Parker had called Maria pulled her thin coat tighter and hurried down a narrow, dark alley. George followed her. Three blocks away, the woman unlocked a door and disappeared into an industrial building.
George frowned as he read the large sign outside: “Warehouse.” That meant this old factory was deemed unsafe, so what was the woman doing there?
Remember your past and help those trying to build a better future.
George opened the door and entered. He followed the sound of voices and light until he reached what had once been an administrative office with glass walls.
The walls were intact, and inside, George saw the woman, Maria, and what looked like four children of various ages. Maria was carefully taking out several plastic bags from her purse and placing them on a table.
She quickly served the food scraps onto plates and handed them to the children. So Maria had been taking leftovers from the dirty plates of customers to feed her kids!
George was outraged. How could this happen in his beautiful “Fisherman’s Feast”? He was determined to put an end to this. Quietly, he slipped away without the woman or children noticing him.
The next day, when the restaurant staff came to prepare for dinner service, George was there. “Parker,” he called. “Come here, I need to talk to you.”
Parker followed George into his office. “Mr. Miller,” Parker greeted him with an oily smile. “What a pleasant surprise!”
“That remains to be seen,” George said coldly. “There are things happening in the restaurant that I don’t approve of, Parker.”
Parker frowned. “Whatever is troubling you… please tell me, and I’ll fix it immediately.”
“I was here last night at closing, Parker, and I saw one of the women scraping leftovers from plates and taking them home—probably to eat.”
Parker looked visibly shocked. “Seriously? I had no idea…”
“Oh, but you did,” George snapped. “I heard you talking to the woman.”
“Sir,” Parker stammered, “I assure you…”
“I’ve ordered that any leftover food or unused ingredients from our kitchen be delivered to shelters,” George said. “And you knew that. And you also knew that one of our employees was surviving on scraps from dirty plates?”
“Erh…” Parker cleared his throat. “Well, yes, but I’ll put an end to it immediately! It’s this woman—Maria? I hired her temporarily. She’s an immigrant.”
“Yes,” George said coldly. “I know how they are. Desperate, willing to work for nothing, sometimes hungry. I know how immigrants are. You see, Parker, my grandfather was an immigrant too.”
“Sir,” Parker gasped, “I assure you…”
“I’m guessing you hired Maria for a fraction of the salary I budgeted for her position and pocketed the rest,” George accused, and Parker turned beet red.
“You’re fired, Parker. You exploited these desperate women, forcing them to feed their children on scraps,” George roared. “But it ends now!”
Then George called Maria. “Maria?” he gently addressed the frightened woman.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“I know you’ve been taking leftovers home for your children, and I’m here to tell you it ends now,” George said.
“Please, sir,” Maria said with dignity, “don’t fire me. I have no one, and I need the food… the money isn’t enough.”
“I know,” George said softly. “That’s why you’ll be getting a raise and a formal work contract.”
Maria stared at him, her mouth open. “A raise?”
“Also,” George added, “my grandfather bought the entire building, and in the back, there’s a small apartment I’ve used for storing dry goods. I’ve ordered it to be cleared and cleaned.
“It’s small but better than an abandoned factory and has electricity, hot and cold water. You and your children will move in there today. And no more eating scraps; you’ll receive proper food!”
Maria was crying. “Why are you doing this?” she whispered. “Helping us?”
“Because,” George said gently, “many years ago, my grandfather came to this city, to this country, with nothing but his dreams, and someone helped him. I’m doing the same for you.”
“Maybe one day, you or one of your grandchildren will lend a helping hand to someone else.”
What can we learn from this story?
It is wrong to exploit the desperation of those trying to build a better life. Parker paid Maria less than she deserved and pocketed the rest until George uncovered the truth.
Remember your past and help those trying to build a better future.
Although he was wealthy, George remembered where he came from and was determined to help others.
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