I had no idea that this one small act would turn my whole life around.
The next morning, I walked into the restaurant completely drained. Madison had been scared of the thunder all night, and I’d maybe slept three hours. Still, I punched in, tied on my apron, and threw myself straight into the chaos of the breakfast rush.
My manager, Brian Keller, was already in one of his bad moods.
“Adam, you’re three minutes late,” he snapped. “This is becoming a habit.”
“It won’t happen again,” I muttered, even though we both knew it probably would. Being a single dad didn’t exactly line up with his idea of “perfect employee.”
At least my coworkers understood.
Rachel Myers, one of the servers, glanced at me with sympathy.
“Long night?” she whispered.
“You have no idea,” I replied, grabbing a tray.
But nothing could have prepared me for what came next.
Around ten o’clock, the bell over the diner door jingled. Everyone assumed it was a regular customer or maybe the delivery guy. Instead, the same elderly man from the night before walked in—this time in a sharp gray suit, looking completely composed.
His eyes swept the room until they landed on me.
“There you are,” he said.
