She Lets Homeless Felon Work For A Day, 2 Weeks Later Gets Strange Phone Call

A Big Mistake

Abby couldn’t move her body. She was frozen with fear. She refused to believe that this was happening to her, but she needed to accept the truth. It was a bold move on her part to allow a felon to work at her restaurant. But the phone call she just had put things in a new light.

He left just over an hour ago, but it was as if he was still there with her. The smell of his cologne still lingered in the shop, and chills ran up her spine. She was about to learn what exactly this man was capable of.

A Woman Achieving Her Dreams 

Abby Smith had worked at her small Scandinavian restaurant for 5 years. She had put all her effort, time, and money into achieving her dream to own her own restaurant. 

But this restaurateur had no idea what was coming to her when a homeless man walked into her restaurant one cold Monday morning.

Thought She Had Seen It All

Abby had worked in the hospitality and food industry for 10 years. She was no stranger to long, grueling hours, cliquey coworkers, and rude customers. That’s why when she opened her own business she knew it was for the best. 

Throughout her decade-long career, Abby thought she had seen it all. But she never knew what was in store for her one Monday morning. 

Another Monday 

Abby woke up at 5:00 am on the dot. It was another Monday morning, and another day at the restaurant. 

She rubbed her tired eyes and got showered. She thought it was just going to be another ordinary day. But she was so wrong 

Starting Her Day 

Abby arrived at work ready to start a busy day. She wiped down the surfaces, got the food ready, and opened up the front ready to start the day. 

Then suddenly, a homeless man appeared and he walked into the restaurant. Abby couldn’t imagine how this meeting would turn out.

A Homeless Man

“Excuse me,” the homeless man said. His voice was quiet, “I’m Ricky, do you have any spare change?” Abby looked at the homeless man and saw sadness in his eyes. “Do you not have a job?” Abby bluntly asked. Ricky was taken back by what she said. 

“No I don’t,” he replied, avoiding eye contact with Abby. “I have a lot of felonies so nobody wants to hire me.” Despite this revelation, Abby replied something unimaginable. 

She’s Seen Him Before 

For a while now, Abby had seen the homeless man, Ricky lingering outside and throughout the neighborhood. She never saw him get into any trouble though, it seemed he kept himself to himself. 

So when Ricky came into Abby’s restaurant and asked her for some change, not even Ricky could have expected her answer. 

A Helping Hand

Abby knew she could use some helping hands in her restaurant, so she offered Ricky a job! His face and eyes lit up, like a child at Christmas.

She asked him to work the entire day washing dishes and tidying up. Ricky got to work straight away and for lunch, Abby made him a sandwich. But when she handed it to him, he snatched it from her hands, and as quick as a cheetah, he darted out of the restaurant.

Following Him

Abby’s heart dropped as soon as she saw Ricky run out the door so she chased after him. But around the corner, she saw he had given the sandwich to another homeless person. 

He soon made his way back to the restaurant and Abby’s heart warmed at his kind gesture. But she had no idea what was coming.

Looking For Info

Throughout the day Abby tried to get as much information as she could about Ricky and his life and past. 

He told her he was from Puerto Rico, but apart from that he was quiet and seemed hesitant to open up. What was he hiding? 

Times Were Hard

With the restaurant not bringing in enough money, Abby knew she couldn’t keep Ricky on permanently. Times were hard, and Abby was struggling to get by as it is. 

So, at the end of the day, Abby said goodbye to Ricky. She thought it would be the last time she would see him. But she was wrong.

Keeps Coming Back 

However the day after – and for the following two weeks – Ricky appeared at the restaurant, ready to start his shift. 

Like clockwork he appeared at the door, his smile beaming through the glass. Abby finally paid him, but what he did next left her lost for words.

His First Splurge

You see, as soon as Ricky received his pay, he went and bought a sandwich from Abby’s restaurant and of course, she gave him a staff discount! She bid him farewell and began to close up for the day.

She considered keeping him on permanently, making cuts somewhere in the businesses. But then just as Ricky left, Abby received a phone call that changed everything. 

An Unknown Number

Abby was closing up what seemed like a never-ending day when her phone rang. She picked it up but she didn’t recognize the number.

With hesitation, she answered the call. She had no idea what was coming.  

We Have Something To Tell You

“Do you know Ricky?” a deep, stern voice asked. Abby’s heart quickened, who was this person calling? “It’s the police,” the voice said. “We have some information about him that we think you should know.”

With fear in her stomach, she asked the police to tell her everything they knew about Ricky. But she couldn’t have expected the answer. Not in a million years. 

His Troubled Past 

The police claimed that they had encountered Ricky numerous times out and about in the town, so they decided to do a little research. 

They found out that Ricky was from Puerto Rico, and he came to the USA in hopes of becoming an actor. However, he soon ran out of money and became homeless. But what the police said next left Abby feeling sick to her stomach.

We Want To See Him

“Bring him in tomorrow. Make sure he’s at your restaurant; we want to see him,” the police officer demanded. 

An uneasy feeling crept up Abby’s spine. Why did they want to see him? Was he in trouble? With hesitation, she agreed. But she had no idea what the police were up to.

The Next Day

The following day Abby arrived at work feeling uncertain about what was ahead. Like clockwork, Ricky appeared at the front door.

As soon as she saw him, Abby wanted to tell him about the police, but her gut told her not to. She was going to wish she had told him. 

Waiting For Him

As soon as Ricky arrived at the restaurant he had a smile on his face. He started to clean down the tables, but then his smile turned upside down as soon as he saw two police officers walk in the door. 

Their eyes were looking straight at Ricky.

Reason To Worry

Ricky quickly tried to leave the restaurant but the two police officers stopped him. They weren’t having any of it.

“Don’t worry,” they said, blocking the exit. But Ricky had every right to be worried when it came to police officers.

An Unfortunate Time

You see, four years ago, after failing to make it as an actor and burning through whatever cash he had left, Ricky ended up being homeless. 

He was well aware that cops could sometimes be the bad guys so he made sure to stay as far away from them as possible. But Ricky had no idea what these two police officers were going to do to him

Come With Us Now 

“Come with us now,” they said while leading Ricky outside and into their cop car. Meanwhile, Abby looked out the window feeling sick to her stomach watching Ricky gets forced into the car. 

What had she done? Had she made a huge mistake? In a couple of hours, all would be revealed. And it would leave Abby dropping to her knees

Waiting For Him  

Two hours passed and Abby was on the edge of her seat, waiting to hear back from Ricky or the police officers. Thankfully it had been a busy morning, but it was soon the afternoon and she still hadn’t heard anything. 

Then as the clock struck 4:30 pm, Abby saw somebody walk in the door, and she was lost for words

Completely Different 

A clean-shaven man with nice clothes walked in and beamed at her. She couldn’t place his face at first, but she’d know that smile anywhere. 

It was Ricky, but he looked completely different! The cops had taken Ricky to a hair salon and paid for a haircut for him. They also kitted him out in new clothes. But their acts of kindness didn’t end there

A Little Help

The officers decided that all Ricky needed was a helping hand. He was a good man who just needed a little help to get out of his rut.

The officers began looking for a decent job for Ricky and even helped with the paperwork to get him into a rental home in a nice neighborhood. But that wasn’t all

Donations

The officers rallied the community to help, and soon people from all over were donating clothes, food, furniture, and other vital supplies to help get him started. 

As soon as the housing application went through, Ricky Would have a real roof over his head and a real bed to sleep in. Ricky couldn’t believe it. “I’m in shock, I think,” he said. “This has actually restored my faith in humanity

A Hand Up

Even if it was a “hand up not a handout”, and even if they said, “he had already done most of the hard work getting his life together by looking for a job”, the gesture was still enough to bring Ricky to tears.

Life had been so hard, and people had been so cold in the past, he had nearly lost all hope in humanity

Turning His Life Around

Four years of living on the streets had been rough for Ricky. But this new city was a new start, and he would do everything he could to pull himself out of homelessness.

The kindness of strangers had been overwhelming. But would it be enough for him to finally have a new start?

The Importance Of Community

Officer Brandson and his family had been saving all the donated items in their garage while they waited for Ricky’s housing application to go through.

“Now it’s up to him,” Officer Brandford said, “this is a starting point for him. It’s all about being a part of the community

Finding His Family

Officer Brandford had even managed to get in touch with Ricky’s mom, who was back in Puerto Rico! The two reunited over video chat for the first time in four years! 

Ricky was so thankful to the officers, and to Abby for helping him out when he needed it so badly. He had a home, a caring community, authority figures who really cared, and the helping hands that would finally let him have the future he dreamed of.

In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.