Erabaru.net. After discovering that his daughter was being bullied by his boss’s son, Harold took matters into his own hands. He even suspected that his actions would land him in hot water and get him fired. But what happened next was beyond his wildest dreams.
Harold is a single father of his daughter Taylor and works as an ordinary manager at a private company. Like most fathers, he wants to do what’s best for his daughter, but he’s in debt, a mortgage on his house, and tons of bills to pay every month.
As a result, Harold had to think twice before buying something for himself or Taylor. He explains why, despite working in the same position for six years without promotion, he appreciates his work. After all, how else would she support his daughter?
But everything changed one day. Taylor came home crying and she refused to talk to him. Even though she repeatedly asked him if anything had happened at school, he didn’t tell her anything. But she soon finds her personal diary and cries as she reads it…
“Taylor honey, welcome home…” Harold was setting the table when she came in, but she didn’t even look at him and ran to her room, crying.
Hi Taylor! Wait!”
Harold ran after him, but he locked the door.
“Taylor, honey, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” he asked, but all he said was, “Leave me alone, father! I don’t want to talk!
“Honey, is everything okay?” she asked again.
“Go, father! Please!” She’s screaming. “I don’t need your help! I do not!”
Harold is gone. He gave Taylor the space he needed. After all, she was a teenager and sometimes the girls found it difficult to share things with her father. Sometimes, they needed their mother, Harold thought, to talk about their feelings, their heartbreak and more.
An hour later, Taylor came out of her room and was about to leave the house.
“Where are you going Taylor? You haven’t had lunch yet and Dad has to go to work!” Harold asked him before he left.
“Go to work, dad. I’m going to Stacey’s,” he said gruffly, slamming the front door behind him.
Harold came home every afternoon for lunch because he didn’t want Taylor to eat alone. After that, he would stay at Stacey’s house until she came home.
Harold was going to work that day, but he didn’t because his mind was on Taylor. She had never seen her so upset since her mother died. She knew what she was about to do was wrong, but she decided to check her room, thinking she’d found something that might explain her bad mood.
When Harold entered Taylor’s room, he saw that it was a mess. He must be furious, he thought. His bag was thrown on the ground and a diary jumped out.
Harold took his bag and started putting the diary in it when he noticed some crumpled pages and there were shoe prints on them as if someone had walked or stepped on them.
Harold was worried because he knew the prints didn’t belong on Taylor’s shoes. Was Taylor bullied at school?
Harold was sitting on Taylor’s bed, reading the diary from the first entry to the last, and was crying at the end.
Taylor has written about everything, including his mother’s death, but it’s the latest rumors that make Harold cry like a baby…
“Dear diary, Dad loves me, I know,” a voice begins. “But I felt so hurt when he stood up for Arthur. He is the son of the father’s boss. I feel so hurt. Can you put me first? Why did she have to side with Arthur when he knows how much Arthur worries me? He always tells me that he will be fine, but nothing is fine. There is not!”
Harold moved on to the next item, and that made him cry even more.
“Dad is a coward! He never helps me. This afternoon, I told him about how Arthur emptied the water bottle on my chair and teased me, and all he said was, ‘Honey, we can’t be mean to people just because they’re mean to we!’ Dad doesn’t know everything Arthur does! He read my diary in front of the whole class, and all the bad boys…laughed at me. I miss you, lady. The father has changed. I guess you don’t love me anymore. I wish you were here, mom…”
Harold closed the diary, put it in Taylor’s bag and left the room. The next day, she arrived at school to pick her up and saw Aurthur grabbing her hair and teasing her as he walked out the school gates.
“Leave me alone, Arthur!” Taylor told him. But Arthur didn’t stop teasing him.
At that moment, Harold decided to stand up for his daughter.
“Stop there, boy!” he yelled, running towards Taylor. “Stop annoying my daughter!”
“Father!” Taylor hugs him as she cries.
“Are you okay, honey?” Harold comforted him, then turned to Arthur. “If you give my daughter trouble again, kid, the consequences won’t be good, okay?”
Coincidentally, Arthur’s father (Harold’s boss, Mr. Fletcher) picks him up from school that day and he notices what’s going on.
“You forgot who I am. His boss is my father, Mr. Wallace!” Arthur laughed. “You can not do anything!”
Harold has lost his temper. “I don’t think your father taught you how to deal with elders! I know you’ve annoyed Taylor, and I won’t remain silent until you repent!”
“What happened, Arthur?” asked Mr. Fletcher, coming up to them. “Why is Taylor’s father angry?”
Before Authur could say anything, Harold started yelling at the father and son, sharing how he found out what Taylor was going through at school and how Arthur bullied and abused him. Mr. Fletcher was shocked to see his employee, who had always been a quiet and private man, attack him.
“Meet me in my office tomorrow, Harold!” he said firmly, “We’ll talk there!” The man then turned and walked off with Arthur.
Harold was sure he would be fired, but he was happy to stand up for his daughter. And that night he had an idea…
The next day, he walked into Mr. Fletcher’s office and tendered his resignation.
‘Before you fire me, sir,’ he said, ‘I would like to resign. I don’t regret what I said to Arthur and you yesterday. My daughter is my life and means more than anything to me. .”
“Then how about you give your daughter news of me, Harold?” asked Mr. Fletcher.
Harold was confused.
“Go home after work today and tell him you’ve been promoted to regional manager,” Mr. Fletcher announced.
“I wonder where this Harold has been all these years…a confident man who stood up for his daughter. I truly believe we need leaders like this, people who fight for what’s right and know how to face situations without prejudice. ! I would like you to talk to any customer who would like us to offer you better cooperation terms! You are a talented man, Harold, and you deserve it!
Harold was in tears and couldn’t believe how good things had turned out. Mr. Fletcher also apologizes for Arthur’s actions and says he punished Arthur.
“And you’ll be happy to know he’s become a gentleman,” she said to Harold. “I told him he wouldn’t have internet and pocket money until he made amends. He has to buy your daughter a rose every day and help the cleaning lady! As parents, we need to point our children in the right direction!
What can we learn from this story?
Spending love on children is more important than spending money on them. Harold feared losing his job if he went against Arthur, but he stopped worrying when he read Taylor’s diary and realized how wrong he was.
As parents, we have to teach our children the difference between right and wrong. Mr. Fletcher’s punishment will ultimately help Arthur become a better human being.
Share this story with your friends. It could brighten their day and inspire them. (yn)
Source: Amama
