It was about 5 years ago when I was invited to the Re-Grand Opening of one of my clients stores. They had a very successful store that was damaged by a fire that swept through the neighborhood that also took down five other shops/stores on the same block. It took about 2 years to rebuilt, but with hard work on their part, financial backing they received from their insurance company and employees who gave up much of their after work hours to rebuilt the company they loved working for.
I initiated a relief fund to help out these people because I know what a great business they had and how much they loved running it and their employees they loved as family. I ran numerous raffles, and also set up with local merchants to take up some collections to help them get back on their feet again. They continued to pay their employees their regular salaries and even overtime while they ran part of their business at another location for a brief time.
We collected a lot of money and I even had several car dealers that were clients of mine donate cars for raffles as well. The owners did not want their employees to be without jobs and hand dipped into their own back account to help fix up the company and pay their employees salaries as well. It was a small company that employed 12 people but they were people that have been working for them since their company opened.
One of the employees Jim was a single father raising a little girl that had a slight learning disability which she was attending a special school where she was doing very well. His wife died at childbirth and he was fortunate enough to have family to help him with his daughter when he was at work and then when she was a little older, he was allowed to bring her to work whenever he didn't have someone to watch her. When his daughter was born, his wife bled to death and one of the instruments the doctor had used on her crushed her skull slightly which cased slight brain damage. She has the looks of a child with downs syndrome but she does not have it.
I have met with Jim several times and we always hit it off. We talked about work as well as our personal lives. One particular day he had his daughter with him and I fell in love with her. She was the most adorable little girl I ever saw and she took to me right away. I played with her for a while so her daddy could work with one of their most difficult customers. She wanted to come home with me and I said that she could if her dad would come too or if he needed to be somewhere, I would be happy to watch her for him. In fact, I offered to watch her anytime he needed someone. He said he didn't go out much because he loved spending as much time with his daughter as possible.
Alissa could wait to ask her dad if she could com to my house and I told him he was invited too and I would make us a dinner, Alissa favorite dinner if she would tell me what that was. Alissa asked for chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes with gravy. Jim said he would love to come but didn't want to put me out and I told him it wouldn't be a problem. I wrote down my address and phone numbers for him and then left to hit the supermarket for all the fixings and also bought some snacks for Alissa for after dinner. I had a collection of DVD's that she may like; I had always watched my best friends twins and I always was buying them movies and I still have the collection.
I stopped at the store for the fixings and then went to the liquor store to buy something for Jim and I to have to drink. I knew he loved beer and JD and so did. I came home and quickly chilled both and then got to working on my chicken fingers for Alissa, peeled tons of potatoes and actually had a great gravy in my freezer from just a week ago when I made my roast beef and had made extra gravy so I took it out to reheat for us instead of the packaged, bottled or canned gravies they had on the shelves.
Jim and Alissa showed up and I had all the breading done and the potatoes peeled too. I would wait until Alissa told me she was hungry. Jim bought me a bottle of champagne and said that Alissa picked it out and she said it was because I was bubbly too. What a great kid I put it in the refrigerator and offered Jim a beer and a shot and he told me he would if I joined him. I made Alissa a glass of chocolate milk. She was looking through all the movies and then saw my toy box. I had toys from the kids too and I had some of them myself. I'm a sucker for teddybears and dolls and I allowed her to play with whatever she wanted. She also brought over some of her own toys along with coloring books and crayons and that is one of my weaknesses.
She sat very quickly and colored for a bit and then came up to Jim and I with a picture that she color of a man which she colored the face black and the woman she colored flesh/white and announced to Jim and I that these 2 people were us and thought we made a nice couple. I felt myself get a little flushed and I saw Jim do the same. She put it on my refrigerator with the magnet that my best friend just brought me back from Hawaii. I thanked her for a the great picture and gave her a big bear hug and she hugged me really hard too. I could see the smile on Jim's face when he saw Alissa smile. I then told Alissa that I would color with her after we ate and she was so thrilled.
