Plump man walking down the street. | Source: Shutterstock
Mike moved into his deceased uncle’s old house after divorcing his ex-wife, who constantly called him a “fat pig.” He ate all day, worked in a laundry and didn’t have big dreams. However, one night his life changed and he lost 59 kilos to get a fresh start.
It was late at night. Mike was watching TV and eating the remains of the pepperoni pizza when a strange noise started to annoy him. He ignored it at first, thinking it was in his head, and turned up the volume on the television. But the more he ignored it, the more persistent the noise became.
At one point, Mike turned off the television and sat alone for a while, focusing his attention on the noise. It was then that he realized that the noise was coming from the house.
Mike, who was a tall, plump man, took his time getting up from the couch and grabbed the baseball bat that was next to the television. Then he followed the noise, taking slow steps and trying to make as little noise as possible while walking on the creaky floorboards, until he realized that it was coming from the basement…
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
Mike put his ear to the basement door and was surprised to hear someone crying inside. He opened the door, baseball bat in hand, and found a small child sitting, hugging his knees and crying.
As soon as the child’s eyes met Mike’s, he was about to escape through the broken window – that’s how he got in – but Mike stopped him.
“Damn it! Kid, just relax, okay? I’m not going to hurt you. What are you doing here?”
Appreciate people for who they are, regardless of what they look like or where they come from.
“This… This…” he stammered.
“The bat…” the boy said, pointing to Mike’s baseball bat, and immediately dropped it. “Okay, calm down. I’m not going to hold her anymore, okay? What’s your name? What are you doing here?”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
In tears, the boy said, “My name is Jason. I live here at night.”
“You… What? How long has this been going on, kid? You know it’s illegal to sneak up on people, right?”
“I’m sorry…I’m scared!”, he said.
Mike comforted him and assured him he was safe. “Listen, I have pizza. Want to join me? While we’re eating it, could you tell me what’s going on.”
“Thanks,” Jason said as he walked towards the living room with Mike.
Jason pounced on the pizza as soon as Mike offered it, and the older man could see that the boy hadn’t eaten in days. He was frail, his clothes were dirty and he had bags under his eyes.
“Easy, okay?”, Mike said to Jason. “I’ll get you some orange juice…”
After Jason finished eating, he told Mike his story. He said he was living in a hostel because his parents had died in a car accident a few months ago. The other children in the home, however, were mean and mistreated him. So he ran away.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
“I don’t stay in one place for long, because I’m afraid of getting caught. Thanks for being nice to me…I like this place.”
“That’s great, kid, but you can’t live like that your whole life. How about you go back there and I come with you? Trust me, things will be different now… See that? “, Mike said, showing his muscular arms. “They will fear him, believe me.”
Jason laughs. “Are you sure it’ll be okay there? These kids are mean…”
“Trust me, kid!” Mike said confidently. “You’re young, and running away from things is never a solution. I’ll be here for you, okay?”
So Mike drove Jason to the home the next morning and spoke with his manager to make sure the young boy wasn’t being bullied by the kids again. Everything was fine, until he went to see Jason a few days later and found him crying.
“They teased me for that, Mike,” Jason said, giving Mike a bracelet made of small stones. He did it for Mike and he was made fun of for it.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
“It’s a nice piece, buddy!” Mike exclaimed as he wore it. “Thank you. Do you want me to give these kids a warning? Come on, let’s show them who we are!”
Mike spoke to the bullies and asked them to stay away from Jason. “You better watch out, boys,” Mike said, and one of them laughed.
“There’s nothing you can do, you fat man!” exclaimed the kid. “Jason gave you food? Is that why you came to defend him? You and him are both losers!”
“Stop, Tor!” Jason said. “This is my…”
“Your father who ate all your food and kicked you out of the house?”
“Yes!”, Mike said out loud. “I’m his father! Yes, it’s me! And don’t come near my son, or you won’t be able to use your dirty mouth anymore!”
With that, Mike took a big step towards the boys, who all quickly ran away.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
“Mike…” Jason said quietly as the kids left. “Did you really mean it?”
“My father… Would you like to become my father? I would love that…”
Mike sighed. “You really want this, buddy? Are you okay with me being your dad?”
“So let’s do it, shall we?” Mike said. “Let me talk to your manager… Or what do they call her… Finally, someone! Maybe a social worker… You just have to wait, okay? I’ll take you home. I promise.”
Mike spoke with Jason’s social worker, but he would need foster parent certification and he would need to be financially stable, which he wasn’t. Additionally, he would have to undergo a background check and several other checks before Jason became his son.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
Mike, a poor, lonely man, worked in a laundry and struggled to make ends meet. He lived in the house left to him by his late uncle. He had gotten better jobs in the past, but he never made it past day one, because he was very lazy. He moved little and only ate.
For Jason, Mike decided to change that. He wanted to give the orphan a good life, so he decided to go to the gym and lose all his extra pounds before finding a good job. But the road ahead was not easy.
On the first day, Mike fell off the treadmill, earning ridicule from others.
“It’s not his cup of tea!”
“That kind of weight takes a lot of effort!”
“That fat guy is going to destroy the equipment here. Why doesn’t he take his grease somewhere else?”
These are just some of the disparaging remarks directed at Mike when he first started bodybuilding. But he refused to give up. He looked at the bracelet Jason gave him every day, which motivated him to do his best.
A few months later, Mike had succeeded. He had lost 59 kg and was barely recognizable. His next goal was to find a better job.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
He had always wanted to work at the radio station, whose offices were near his gym. When he landed an interview, he stood outside the interview room for a while, admiring the magnificent chaos that reigned there. That day, he passed the interview and got the job.
A month later, Mike applied to become Jason’s foster parent. The young boy didn’t recognize him for a moment as he entered the building, wearing a clean, ironed shirt and decent pants.
“Wow, Mike… You… You look different!” Jason laughs.
“Well, I had to look a little smart for my son,” Mike said. “Let’s go home, buddy…”
It was three years ago. Mike became Jason’s universe and the best father. He and Jason cooked together, listened to the radio, and Friday night baseball games and pepperoni pizza (the first pizza they shared was also pepperoni) had become a ritual.
One day, Mike heard a surprising confession on the radio.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
“It’s Lauren,” the voice said. “My ex-husband works at your radio station… I just want to tell you that I still love him. We could get back together, honey… I know you’re a different person now. You’ve changed appearance. You’ve changed… I spoke to someone from the station, and he told me about you. What if we had dinner together? Restaurants at 8 p.m. Come if you want to give us a chance . I will wait for you.”
Mike knew what that meant. He went to the restaurant, but with Jason, and when Lauren approached him, all he said was, “This is my son Jason. I’m sorry, Lauren, but this ‘big pig’ is happy to be a father. I don’t think he needs a woman who doesn’t know how to appreciate his true value. Goodbye!”
What can we learn from this story?
Appreciate people for who they are, regardless of their appearance or background. Lauren wanted to reconcile with Mike after he lost weight and became attractive, even though she had disrespected him all his life and called him a “fat pig”. Mike did well not to fall for this. You are never alone. Someone needs you and will find a way to reach you. Jason and Mike met in the strangest circumstances and became inseparable.
Share this story with your friends. She could brighten their day and inspire them.
This story is inspired by the daily lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or places is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to [email protected].
2023-10-20 16:53:56
#Lonely #Man #Loses #Pounds #Finds #Job #Adopt #Boy #Basement #Story #Day