Old age
When Marge, a 70 year old woman, entered a restaurant, the last thing she expected was shame and embarrassment. But sometimes we have to be persistent and patient to get what we want
Marge is a 70 year old woman who lives in San Antonio, Texas. She had lived there for a very long time without any family. Although she once had a son, Marge has no idea where he lived.
Poverty
Marge is a homeless beggar on the streets of Texas who lived from hand to mouth. She has no source of income nor does she have anyone to depend on. Her life was basically in shambles. She never knew that better days lie ahead.
The day
For Marge, her typical day involved being driven on a wheel chair by a boy who had also been left to fend for himself. They both move from one place to the other around the slums begging for money. Not that she couldn’t walk by herself, this simply attracted more attention. However, one day Marge met Lily, a social worker who was interested in knowing how she had lived her life to be in that situation.
Her story
Lily was kind enough to listen to her share her story. She talked about the costly mistakes she had made in her early life that she wished she could turn back time to correct them. But that was not possible and it would also be better to think about how her living condition can get better. Marge didn’t expect what Lily later did for her.
Abandoned
Among the things Marge mentioned was how she gave her son up for adoption in her thirties because she believed she couldn't provide him a better life. Could it be this act that has come back to haunt her?
Money
Among the things Marge mentioned was how she gave her son up for adoption in her thirties because she believed she couldn't provide him a better life. Could it be this act that has come back to haunt her?
The orphanage
Marge went to the orphanage where he had dropped her son, Mark, for adoption. After proper description and paper work checks, she was told her son no longer lived in San Antonio but she could get a brief information that he worked as a manager in one big restaurant in Austin, Texas. This meant more expenses for Marge as she had to look for her son. She didn’t know what was waiting for her.
Austin
Marge had to travel down to Austin in search of her long lost son. She moved from one big restaurant to the other to look for him. Snooping around just to get some clues. Although she had faced a lot of embarrassing moments because she wasn’t well-dressed for such restaurants, what happened to her next wasn’t any better.
Tired
Looking for her son definitely wasn’t an easy task for Marge, she was an old woman who barely fed well. But even the toughest times in life come with a silver lining. She had a beacon of hope that she would find her son. And that came soon enough.
Lucky days
One day during the search for her son, Marge was lucky to enter the restaurant where she thought he worked. She entered the restaurant with the intent to use the restroom and use the opportunity to look around. There she found a picture of the restaurant staff hanging on the wall. Could that be the moment she had been praying for?
Haggard
Marge looked old and dirty, her hair was a total mess. She was looking very haggard and that caught the attention of the restaurant customers. She decided not to mind them but this didn’t end well for her.
The restaurant
The restaurant certainly wasn’t a place someone could dress in such a way the old woman did. It had a very beautiful interior because it had just been recently redone due to the appointment of a new management. But thanks to this new management, Marge could once again dream of seeing her son. Although what she experienced there wasn’t what she had expected.
Picture
On seeing the picture on the wall, Marge was able to identify her son immediately. She was delighted and sad at the same time. She looked around the restaurant on the pretense that she wanted to use the restroom but she couldn’t find her son yet.
Sad
Marge left the restaurant when she couldn’t find her son, she also could not ask the restaurant staff about him because of the fear of being chased away like a beggar. Little did she know she would experience something much worse later.
A second time
Marge was not going to give up on looking for her son. Not even after she already found that picture hanging on the wall. So she decided to go back to the restaurant the second day. Again, she went to the restroom. But this time around the restaurant staff were now staring at her because they could recognize her from the previous day. You would not believe what they did to her.
Leave
One of the restaurant staff, who looked like a top staff in the restaurant, approached the old woman. He told her that she was obstructing their service when she hadn’t even done anything to them nor had she spoken to anyone. That wasn’t surprising anyway, Marge had gotten similar experiences in the other restaurants she went to. But was she ready to be obedient this time around?
Customers
At the restaurant, most people were now staring at her. Marge didn’t want any trouble at the restaurant, not even when she hadn't seen her son yet. She left the restaurant hoping that the next day would be better. But nothing could have prepared her for the shame and embarrassment she would be facing the next time she tried.
The third time
Marge went to the restaurant again on the third day, which was a Saturday. The restaurant was blooming with a lot of customers, everyone was busy and she hoped to not call any attention to herself. She had no idea what was coming.
The manager
Marge found her way to the restroom then to the picture she had always looked at with tears and sadness in her eyes. She thought if she would have lived a better life if she hadn’t abandoned her son. While she was lost in her thoughts, she was spotted by the restaurant manager who had joined the other waiters and waitresses in attending to customers. But he wasn’t happy to see her.
Anger
On seeing the old woman, Mark, the manager asked one of the waiters who she was. He was told they do not know as well but she has been coming for a while, just using the restroom without speaking to anyone. The manager was already fuming mad and it only got worse from there.
The kick out
Mark walked up to the old woman and without any form of greeting, he said to her “I’m afraid you’ll have to leave, the restrooms are for paying customers and my staff tells me you’ve come in here everyday this week.” Marge looked at him in disbelief. She had finally found her son and she tried she choose her words carefully because it was an important moment.
Choose your words
The old woman replied to Mark saying she just wanted to wash up and look around, also telling him it was such a nice restaurant. But Mark was displeased at her reason for coming there. He frowned and told her to “Thank you, the staff and I work hard to keep it that way, now can you please leave. I didn’t take over this restaurant for it to turn into a camp for homeless people.” Mark was over-reacting and the next thing she said would trigger an explosion of emotions.
Embarrassing
The old woman was hurt by those words and her eyes started to well up with tears. It was such a shameful and embarrassing moment for her. However, to avoid causing a scene she told the manager that she’ll leave. But that wasn’t the end. The situation was going to take an unexpected turn within a few seconds.
Frustration
As Marge was about to leave, she tried to prevent tears from dropping and proceeded to ask the manager if she could ask one question before she left. Mark, who was already getting frustrated that she wouldn’t just leave, threw his hands in the air. Then he gave her the chance to ask. The old woman stared at him and asked “Do you ever wonder if your mother is proud of the work you’ve done here?”
Apologetic
The manager thought hard at this question, for a moment he was speechless. Then he answered by saying he grew up in a foster home. He was an orphan who never knew his mother. Answering that question made him realize he had gone overboard with what he had said initially. Therefore, he did not stop there, Mark apologized for what he had said early on, he was sorry for being mean, he explained that he reacted that way because the restaurant was just so crowded and busy. He then offered the old woman a cup of coffee free of charge. But has Marge forgotten why she was there.
Mother and son
Marge was happy at his kind gesture, she smiled at him and told him she has been coming here the past few days because she was looking for him. She went ahead to say she had seen how much he improved the restaurant after he took over and she just thought to tell him his mother is very proud of him.
Mark became very confused. “How could you know that?” he asked. Marge then went ahead to tell him I know because I am your mother. Everyone in the restaurant who had been listening to the conversation became very amazed. Is this how Mark was going to meet his mother after over 30 years?
Memories
The old woman certainly needed to explain further. She talked about when the manager was still a kid. Leaving him in the orphanage was the hardest thing she had ever done in her life. She wanted a son but didn’t have the means to take care of him so she gave him up for adoption so he could have a better life. But she wasn’t even done yet.
Recognition
The old woman also proceeded to explain that now that she was older, she used all the little money she had to find him in Austin. She had heard from the orphanage that he was working in a restaurant so she moved from one to the other. But on entering his restaurant, she saw the picture on the wall and was able to recognize him instantly. It was now left to Mark to decide how he would respond to her confessions.
Tears
Mark was amazed and with a teary eye, he rushed quickly to his mother’s side. He also had many things to talk about. Apparently, he has also been looking for his mother for quite a while. By the time the witness decided to leave the restaurant, they were still holding each other and talking. Everyone was happy for them.
Happy moments
Everyone who had witnessed the scene at the restaurant was happy for them and Mark had to stop his work that day to reminisce with his mother. They had a good time afterwards and this became the happiest moment for the mother and son who met again after about 30 years.