Rich Lady Hears Son Mocking Beggar, Recognizes Him As Man She Owes Her Success To

By Haider Ali in Inspirational On 16th May 2023
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When Lacey was just ten years old, she realized that she wanted to be a lawyer. Her lawyer parents tragically passed away in a car accident while she was a little child, leaving her orphaned.

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The one thing Lacey had promised her grandma when her grandmother took her under her wing was that she would become a successful lawyer and bring honor to her parents.

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Years later, Lacey launched her law firm after earning her summa-cum-laude degree from a prestigious law school. Lacey tried her best to educate her son Aaron on the importance of respecting others and those in need, but she failed miserably.

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One day, Lacey and Aaron went to a nearby town to work on a case.

Aaron was too naïve to be left at home alone while her husband was away on a business trip, so Lacey had to take him along.

"If you trouble me during the work, we are coming right back, and there'll be a week's house arrest for you!" Lacey had warned him, and Aaron had said, "OK, Mum! I won't trouble you! Promise!"

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Aaron kept to himself for the majority of the journey, but now he was growing bored.

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His questions were also ridiculous, and Lacey had no urge to respond, as a result of his boredom.

"Are we going to meet the criminal? Is it going to be like one of the James Bond movies? Are we uncovering a serious case?" Aaron asked Lacey while she was driving.

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"Well," said Lacey. "I can't discuss the details with a little boy like you. How about you let me drive peacefully and watch something on your IPad?"

"But Mom!" cried, Aaron. "Tell me something! At least you can tell me if we'll arrest the bad guys!"

Lacey laughed. "Not all cases involve bad guys and arrests, Aaron! And this is, thankfully, not something that would require much work. It's just that the client can't visit me because she's an elderly lady."

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“Sometimes, a moment is all it takes for a life to change.”

"Boring!" sighed Aaron. "It's not fun then! I should've stayed home! And I'm hungry, Mum."

"But you had a tuna sandwich like half an hour ago!" she said.

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"That was not enough! Mom! Stop!" he cried. "There's a store right there! Can I please get some snacks? I won't trouble you if you get me shrimp chips!"

Lacey stopped her car across from the store and took off her seatbelt. "You're one clever boy," she said. "Do you want anything else? I'll go and get it. Until then, you're not leaving the car! OK?"

But at that exact time, Lacey's phone rang, and it was the client calling. After telling Aaron to cross the street cautiously, she became distracted by a phone call and handed him her credit card to buy snacks for himself.

Unfortunately, the call was long, and the customer ended up canceling the meeting because she had another commitment.

"Mrs. Roberts, can we please meet today?" Lacey persuaded her. "I drove all the way, and it's hard for me to make time for you later. No, no, I understand, but…"

"OK, alright, and I hope you realize I can't give this case any more time. I've got a bunch of other things to deal with. OK then, I'll see you at my office. Yes, Friday works fine. Alright. Thanks."

With a sigh, Lacey hung up the phone. What a waste of time! How can someone be so disrespectful to others' time? She thought. She then entered the supermarket and was horrified to see her kid ridiculing a poor man.

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"You stink! Stay away from me, you dirtbag!" cried Aaron. Several packets were in his hands as he spoke.

"Little child," begged the man. "I need… I need a dollar to clear my bill! I haven't eaten in days. Would you be kind enough to help me?"

"Get away!" Aaron sneered. "I don't talk to strangers! Go and beg elsewhere!"

As the other customers began to stare at the unfortunate man, he disappeared into one of the aisles. 

"Mom!" he cried. "I bought the snacks! Let's go!"

"We're not leaving until you apologize, Aaron!" she said. "I saw what you did to that poor man. You could have helped him."

"But Mom, he stank! And he looked like a freak!"

"So? All he wanted was your help. You could have said no politely. That's not how we treat others, hun. And so, we need to apologize. Come with me."

In the milk aisle, Lacey and Aaron decided to find the man and apologize to him. He was crying while curled up on the ground, embracing his knees.

"Sir," said Lacey gently. "Oh, I'm sorry about my son's behavior. He shouldn't have behaved so rudely."

The man looked up when he heard Lacey's voice, and she thought he looked elderly, fragile, and exhausted.

Beyond the lines of wrinkles on his face, she could make out the person to who she owed her success. She had no idea she would discover him in this condition—in a different city and in a messy state—eight years after he vanished.

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"Mr. Rutledge? Lord! That's you!" she gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. "Oh, I found you!"

He didn't appear to recognize her though. "I don't know …" he said. "I'm just a poor man, and I'm hungry."

"You don't remember me? I'm Lacey. I was your student!"

"I don't know…" he sobbed. "I don't know anything. Please just leave me alone!"

Even though Lacey didn't know what was happening, she was able to comfort him and bring him home. He took his baths at her house, dressed in her husband's clothes, and wept when given home-cooked meals. He didn't share much other than the fact that he was homeless and depended on begging for a living before retiring to sleep in the guest room.

So Lacey took him to the doctor, where she discovered he had lost his memory as a result of a serious accident. The doctor assured them that the medication would be helpful, but they had little faith.

Nevertheless, Lacey made the decision to go forward and treated Mr. Rutledge like a daughter. Mr. Rutledge taught her years ago while she was a law student.

One of his students, whom he had chosen from the pool of candidates needed to be recommended for a foreign internship.

Lacey's legal career had been launched by that internship, and she spent ten years working there before founding her own firm. So when Mr. Rutledge's family unexpectedly required assistance due to his sudden absence, Lacey stepped in to help them.

Sadly, when she first encountered him in the store, he had forgotten he had a family, but she was ready to help him in any way she could to get better. And happily, Mr. Rutledge started to slowly and gradually remember who he was.