“Charles Bamford was an arrogant, middle-aged man who had no regard for anyone, especially the less privileged and black-skinned people. For many years, he treated people with disdain. But one day, a woman decided to teach him a bitter lesson he would never forget in a hurry.
Dressed in an expensive tuxedo, Charles pulled up his Mercedes-Benz in front of his luxurious restaurant one Friday morning. Most people who frequented the restaurant were notable individuals and successful business owners. A few months ago, Charles instructed the security guards to ensure no homeless person was seen around the building. “They litter everywhere, these homeless people; they chase away good customers,” he had said.
“You see, Charles had inherited the restaurant from his late parents and immediately changed the company’s policies to suit his selfish desires. Unlike his parents, he showed no mercy to the poor, nor did he believe in charity. ‘Call me crazy and heartless, but I’ve come this far because of my principles. I’ve taken this company to where it is today because of my beliefs. If you want to be successful, then you can’t be kind. How do you make money when you sell at cheap prices and to poor people? How do you make profits if you give to charity?’ he screamed at his staff one slow afternoon.
All of this, his staff could bear, but when he made a rule saying dark-skinned people should no longer be allowed into the restaurant, some of them quit their job, saying they could no longer work for a racist.
Charles was a sucker for attention, and he loved being worshiped. So, at 7 am every day, his staff would wait for him at the entrance just to bow their heads and greet him. So, as he got out of the Mercedes that Friday morning, one of his staff went to get his bag. “Welcome, boss,” he said without looking him in the eyes as he made his way into the restaurant. The other staff members bowed their heads.
Just then, Mitchell, one of the staff, whispered, ‘How long do we keep doing this?’ Then she let out a slight hiss. But Charles heard her. He turned around and asked, ‘Who made such a crazy sound?’ But no one said anything. Perhaps Charles was in a good mood that morning, so he let the issues slide and walked into his office.
Mitchell was a 35-year-old single mother who started working at the restaurant a year ago. Despite her reservations about Charles’s inhuman attitude toward the underprivileged and the black community, she continued working there because the salary went a long way to care for her only daughter and to pay rent. Although she had planned to leave before the year ran out, something happened one day that fast-tracked her plans.
That day, Mitchell went out to empty the trash bin. She was walking back to the restaurant when a homeless black boy approached her and begged for food. Mitchell walked away at first, but then her conscience wouldn’t let her. So she turned back and called out to the boy, who had started walking away. ‘Hey, please sit over here. I’ll bring you a plate of food.’
Now, Michelle went into the kitchen and came out with a plate of untouched leftovers. She found the homeless boy sitting on the veranda and gave him the food. He gobbled the food without pausing. Afterward, he turned to the plate to Mitchell and, with tears in his eyes, he said, ‘Thank you.’
The middle-aged woman was glad she could help the boy in her own little way. Mitchell walked back to the restaurant with a smile on her face, but the moment she stepped in, she knew something was wrong. Everyone stared at her as if she had committed a grave crime. Just then, one of the staff asked her to immediately report to Charles’s office.
You see, Charles had a CCTV in his office that captured activities within and outside the restaurant, and he had seen Mitchell giving food to the homeless black boy. As soon as Mitchell stepped into Charles’s office, he jumped from his chair and pointed his finger in her face.
‘How dare you flout my rules? You gave my food, bought with my hard-earned money, to that thing. You’re fired!’ he screamed. Michelle was so frightened; she had never seen anyone that angry in her entire life. Mitchell went on her knees and pleaded for leniency, but her apologies fell on deaf ears. Seeing that he wouldn’t budge, she requested payment for the hours she had worked that month, but she got the shock of her life.
‘How dare you break my rules and ask for payment? Leave this moment!’ Charles screamed at her. ‘I really need the money for my daughter’s school fees,’ Mitchell said, forcing back tears. In response, Charles let out a wicked laugh and said, ‘Unlike you, I don’t mix business with pleasure.’ Seeing that his mind was made up, Michelle made her way out of his office, only stopping at the door to give the crazy Charles a piece of her mind.
‘You know what, you are arrogant and so full of yourself. It will get you nowhere. I am glad I finally get to leave. I will be around to witness your downfall.’
Two weeks later, Michelle luckily got another job in a restaurant much bigger than Charles’s own. The owner, Henrietta, was a dark-skinned woman who discriminated against no one. She was always the first to arrive at the restaurant, and despite being so elegant and rich, she treated everyone with respect. Even though she had staff who worked for her, she enjoyed serving her customers, so you would often see her in the restaurant welcoming customers, serving them, and helping her staff in any way possible.
Well, it was this woman that taught Charles the biggest lesson of his life. Two years later, Charles’s company became bankrupt, and the only thing that could save his business was to get into partnership with a successful individual or corporation. Meanwhile, Henrietta’s restaurant had tripled its yearly income. Everyone was raving about this five-star-rated restaurant. Many business owners wanted to partner with the restaurant, and one person who was more than desperate to seal a deal with Henrietta’s company was Charles.
Swinging into action, he sent a partnership email, and a month later, he got a response. Henrietta invited him over to the restaurant so they could have a proper discussion. On the day he arrived at the restaurant, the place was full. Charles walked in, arrogant as always, and sat at a table. He noticed a black woman sitting in a corner and looking over some book recipes. Just then, he signaled to one of the staff, who happened to be Mitchell.
‘I see you found yourself a job. You still look wretched, though,’ Charles said. But Michelle ignored his hateful comments and asked if he would like to make an order. ‘Of course, serve everyone here drinks, except that hungry dark-haired woman sitting over there,’ he said, pointing at Henrietta.
Shocked by his words, Mitchell looked in her boss’s direction, but the easy-going lady signaled to her to do as Charles wished. After the drinks went round, Henrietta looked in Charles’s direction and said, ‘Thank you.’ This infuriated Charles, and he took out his wallet and placed a second order. ‘Serve everyone here food, except that arrogant dark-haired woman,’ he said, shooting daggers at Henrietta.
Michelle served the food to everyone present except her boss. Henrietta remained calm, and after the food had gone round, she smiled at Charles and said, ‘Thank you.’ This made Charles angrier than ever, and he ordered for another round of drinks for everyone except Henrietta. He could have gone one more round, but he knew his card would get declined due to insufficient funds. He had spent almost all his money trying to humiliate the black woman, but she seemed unbothered.
Filled with anger, Charles walked over to Mitchell and said, ‘Hey, ex-employee, what is wrong with that black woman over there? I bought food and drinks for everyone except her, and instead of being angry, she just sits there, smiles at me, and says thank you. That’s just so crazy.’
When Michelle said nothing, he continued, ‘What’s so good about this restaurant that everyone wants to come here? There are black people here that make them look bad and cheap.’ Then he said, ‘I would like to speak to the owner. I have a deal that might interest her if business aligns. Tell her that I’m here.’
Michelle was about to walk over to Henrietta when Charles stopped her and asked her to throw the black woman out first before going to call the owner. Facing Charles, Mitchell said, ‘That’s the owner. That black woman you’ve been trying to humiliate is the owner of the restaurant.’ Hearing those words, Charles closed his eyes and laughed loudly.
‘What? Tell me that’s a big joke,’ he said while laughing. When he finally opened his eyes, Henrietta was standing in front of him, shoving her ID card in his face. Charles was so shocked that the wallet he was building fell, and a few bills fell out of it.
‘Madam,’ Charles stuttered, and his lips began to tremble. He felt very ashamed of himself. Putting aside his pride for the first time, Charles, knowing he desperately needed Henrietta’s help, went down on his knees.
‘I didn’t know that you were the boss. I’m so sorry, please forgive me,’ he said. But Henrietta had the perfect words for him. ‘Never judge people based on their appearance because sometimes people who seem sophisticated and sweet can be the biggest snakes, while those under poor coats may have the richest heart. Never judge anyone by their skin color either.’
Afterward, she told Charles he was unworthy of her help. You see, Henrietta was also the president of the Restaurant Association in the city, and she told Charles she would see to it that no one ever partners with him. At that, she began heading for her office, while Charles, filled with remorse, walked closely behind her like a lost puppy.
But before he could enter the office with her, Michelle and some guards stopped him. Just then, Mitchell brought her face very close to Charles and said, ‘I can’t believe you went down on your knees. You looked like a simpleton back there. I heard your business has gone bad; I guess your beliefs didn’t take you far after all. Leave now, or I’ll ask the security to throw you out.’
With his head bowed in shame, Charles walked out of the restaurant. In that moment, he understood that he was the architect of his own doom. What did you think of this story? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section.”
Pride, as they say, goes before a fall but in this case it was arrogance and stupidity. He was certainly served a meal, of sorts: his just desserts.