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A poor janitor fired from his only breadwinning job heard a strange squeak coming from a drain pipe and found a dog trapped in it. Knowing little of how his life would change overnight, he rescued the pup and looked for its owner.
Sometimes, difficulties and disappointments might discourage us and cause us to fall apart. But with sheer determination, nothing is impossible, no matter how poor we are. Widower and dad of three, Arthur, believed this ever since he started battling with his struggles.
Whenever he slipped into his janitor uniform daily, he hoped he would not have to wear it again. Arthur dreamed of a better job with better pay and prayed hard. With high hopes on a typical day at work, he decided to request his boss for a promotion to a vacant front desk position.
The janitor knew he was dreaming big to claim a better position but still gave it a try. Unfortunately, who knew poor Arthur would witness the ugly side of his boss and fall into his evil trap…
For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash
“You want to be a receptionist in my office?” Arthur’s boss Alex asked him. “You want to quit cleaning and washing, huh?”
A look of desperation cloaked Arthur’s eyes.
“Sir, I would like to try it. It would be beneficial to earn more money and provide for my family,” he said.
“Sparkie? Is that you?!” he gasped and checked the number on the dog’s collar. To his surprise, it matched the one on the notice, which also had an address.
Arthur’s wife, Melinda, had died just six months after their third child was born. Widowed too young, the 29-year-old janitor took it upon him to raise his three kids and look after his old mother-in-law, Jessie.
Learning about a vacant front desk position in the cleaning services company where he worked seemed like the light at the end of the tunnel to the poor man.
“Please give me this opportunity, sir,” he pleaded. “I will put in my best effort, and you will not regret hiring me for that role. Please help me, sir.”
Arthur’s boss, Alex, thought for a long time. He never discussed it again until later that afternoon when he called the janitor to his office.
“Alright! I will consider you for that position. But it will take some time for necessary paperwork because the current receptionist is serving his notification period,” said Alex. “I will keep you in my mind, but you must impress me.”
Arthur was delighted. This was all he wanted to hear. He felt the burden on his shoulder lighten and dreamed big for his kids’ future.
“I’m ready to do anything for this job, sir,” he cried joyfully.
“Anything, huh?” grinned Alex, concealing his wicked plan under his smile. “Well, starting today, you will have to work overtime. You have to wash the windows daily and mop the floor—no more alternate days. We have an inspection very soon, and I want my office to shine. I want us to show we are the best cleaning services provider in town.”
Arthur gladly nodded and agreed. He blindly believed his boss, and for the next two weeks until the inspection, he worked very hard to impress him.
Two weeks later, the inspection was over, and Arthur could not stop dreaming about being the new receptionist. With soaring hopes, he approached his boss in his office and saw another man with him.
“Sir, I wanted to ask you about the front desk—” Arthur stammered.
“Ah, yes! Meet our new receptionist, Jonathan,” Alex said, introducing the man in his office.
Arthur was startled. His eyes filled with tears and despair. “New receptionist?” he muttered.
“Yes, he just joined us. Did you clean his work area?”
At this point, Arthur was furious. He realized that his boss had tricked him. In a fit of rage, he confronted him, demanding an explanation.
“You said I would be the new receptionist and made me work overtime. How could you lie to me? I respected and trusted you!” Arthur fumed.
The janitor’s anger did not go too well with his boss. He was furious at being questioned in front of his new employee and immediately showed Arthur the door.
“How dare you question me? This is my office, and I decide who works where!” he lashed out. “Poor people like you shouldn’t dream big. I just wanted to show you your place. You only deserve to hold a mop stick and broom. Take your last paycheck and get out of my office! You’re fired! Get out!”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
Arthur was hurt and humiliated. He quit his job and stormed out onto the street, lost and hopeless. Even worse, his boss did not pay him for all his extra work.
“What will I tell my mother-in-law? How will I pay my kids’ fees?” he cried. “Who will hire me now?”
The janitor fumbled about in the street. He looked around for boards and advertisements for vacancies but found none. Beaten and disappointed, he decided to return home. On his way, he heard a faint squeak that intrigued him.
“Weird, I just heard a crying sound,” he mumbled and continued walking. He barely took a few steps when he heard the sound again. Curious to find out, he stopped and listened.
“It’s coming from the old drain pipe,” he exclaimed and walked to the spot to check. He peeped into the pipe and was surprised to see a dog trapped in it.
“Oh, poor thing, let me help you!” he shrieked. “Hold on. I’m coming!”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pixabay
Arthur tried pulling out the dog, but it was stuck in the narrow drain pipe. He looked for help, but nobody was around since it was a secluded street.
Then he had an idea. He ran to the nearest grocery store and returned with an oil bottle. He dabbed the oil on the drain pipe’s opening to lubricate it. After a bit of struggle, he freed the dog from the pipe.
“You must be exhausted, poor thing,” he said. “How long were you stuck in here? Here, have these biscuits.”
The dog looked relieved and exhausted. She wagged her tail and sat beside Arthur, pawing his shoulder.
“Where is your home, sweetie?” he said, and the tag on the dog’s collar caught his attention.
Hoping to return the pup to its owner, Arthur checked the tag and learned the dog’s name was Sparkie. He found a phone number behind the tag and dialed it, but nobody picked up.
“That’s weird. Why is your owner not picking up the phone? I can’t leave you alone…You are such a cute dog,” he said.
Then Arthur remembered dogs have an extraordinary sense of smell.
“Sparkie, can you take me to your house?” he asked the dog, to which she wagged her tail and started walking in a different direction.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pixabay
The dog sniffed the road as she led the man in different directions. Arthur almost gave up and surmised the dog could’ve lost her way. He followed Sparkie towards a tree, and that’s when he saw a “Missing” notice stuck on it.
“Sparkie? Is that you?!” he gasped and checked the number on the dog’s collar. To his surprise, it matched the one on the notice, which also had an address.
Sighing relief, Arthur took the dog to the address and arrived at the doorstep of an old man, Jacob. Minutes later, the door creaked open, and Jacob stood on the other side, staring at Arthur.
“May I help you?” he asked.
“Mr. Jacob?” Arthur asked the man.
“Yes, it’s me. How do you know me?” Jacob replied and burst into tears when Sparkie jumped on him.
“Sparkie?! My girl, where were you? I missed you so much!” Jacob cried.
“I saw your name on the notice for a missing dog in the park… I found Sparkie stuck in a drain pipe and rescued her.”
Teary-eyed, Jacob revealed his dog had been missing for the past three days. He was delighted to unite with her and revealed something that moved Arthur to tears.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pixabay
“I could not take a step without my dog. She is my best friend and guardian,” Jacob said, removing his black glasses.
As it turned out, the man lost his sight in an accident five years ago. He had no family and depended on his maid, who cooked and cleaned for him. Sparkie was his guide dog and the only companion he had. Three days ago, she had playfully wandered outside the house and got lost.
“I cannot thank you enough for saving my beloved dog, young man,” Jacob cried. Arthur’s kind deed touched Jacob, and after listening to his story, he decided to reward him with a life-changing surprise.
The next day, a limo pulled over outside Arthur’s house. His neighbors watched in awe because nobody had seen such an expensive car outside the poor janitor’s house. Even Arthur was shocked. A rich man in an expensive suit approached him with an envelope.
“Who is that?” gasped Arthur, who was equally taken aback.
Curious, he took the envelope and found a letter from Jacob.
“Dear Arthur, I know it is too early, but even if we had met just for a day, I was impressed by your character. I have no children and would like you to accept my offer to be my son. I wondered who would run my ceramics business after me, and you came into my life right on time. Please see me as soon as possible to proceed with the formalities. Your Father, Jacob.”
Arthur burst into tears. He washed and changed into his best clothes and got into the limo, much to everyone’s shock and envy.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
Eventually, Jacob drafted a will leaving his $13M estate to Arthur. He also handed over his ceramics company to him. Arthur could not believe how his fate had changed overnight. But deep in his heart, he still felt an itch for revenge on his evil boss.
On his first day as head of the ceramics company two weeks later, Arthur sent a proposal to his former boss for a contract for his cleaning services.
Greed got the best of Alex after seeing the $50K budget Arthur quoted. He immediately left the office to meet the owner of the ceramics company, unaware of who he was going to face.
Arthur enjoyed watching his ex-boss wait for him in the lobby and purposely made him wait for a long time. Finally, he called him inside for the meeting, only to startle him.
“Arthur??? What are you doing here?” Alex exclaimed after seeing his ex-janitor on the boss’s chair.
“This is my company, Alex!” Arthur replied. “I just became the boss and wanted to add a little spark to my office. So I thought of hiring your services.”
Alex was shocked and speechless. He could not believe that the poor janitor he had tricked and fired would become so rich in a matter of weeks.
“If you want my $50K contract, I have a small condition, Alex,” Arthur grinned, knowing it was time to take his revenge. “I want you to demonstrate how good your company is. If you want my contract, you should clean my office.”
Alex started to sweat in shame. He could not let go of the contract and, at the same time, felt humiliated having to work under his former janitor. But he had no choice. He lifted the mop stick and started to clean Arthur’s office to impress him.
“Well, I must say…I am indeed pleased, Alex,” Arthur frowned. “But you still left a few dirty stains in my heart, and it will take a lifetime for you to clean that. Quit wasting my time and GET OUT!”
The other staff in the office burst into laughter as Alex stormed out, disappointed and embarrassed. Pleased by his little act of revenge and newfound goodness in his life, Arthur pat his chest in pride.
Source: amodays.com
