Jacob, who had just landed a steady job at a grocery store, was fired for being ten minutes late. He had helped an elderly woman, Stacy, whose grocery bag had ripped. Jacob explained, “I left early, but I had to help her,” but his boss dismissed it as an excuse.
Outside the store, Stacy, who turned out to be well-connected, came to Jacob’s rescue. She confronted Jacob’s boss, Arnold, saying, “Did you fire this young man for being late? Well, guess who that woman was? Me!”
Arnold, realizing his mistake, apologized and offered Jacob his job back with a raise. “I had no idea it was you he was helping,” Arnold admitted. Jacob was shocked and grateful. Stacy encouraged him, “Get back to it! The first task is to distribute these cakes.”
The incident reminded Jacob that kindness can have unexpected rewards.
