I Invited My Boyfriend to a Family Dinner and It Ruined My Life – Story of the Day

I invited my boyfriend to a family dinner to introduce him to my millionaire parents, but my father's reaction to him almost cost me the love of my life.

I'm Lilith, and I fell in love with a waiter. His name is Jonathan, a handsome man with big dreams and a brain equipped to make them happen. We first met at the restaurant where he works.

That day, I was sad because I lost some leverage on my stock options at work. I entered the restaurant with a sad frown, and the waiter who attended to me was Jonathan.

I was immediately struck by how handsome he looked in his apron, and it momentarily distracted me from my gloomy thoughts. He had a ready smile, and as soon as he saw how unhappy I was, he cracked a joke that was so dry, I couldn't help but laugh.

I asked him to take a seat, but he refused, saying he still had hours to work and could not afford to jeopardize his pay. He left with my order, and while I waited for my meal, I kept my eyes on him. He was quite a view to watch, and he looked very hardworking, qualities I loved in a man.

Above all, he had taken his time to put a smile on my face, which endeared him to me. That day I made sure not to leave until I got his contact information, and that was how it all began. Over the following weeks, we started scheduling dates that saw us fall deeply in love with one another.

The restaurant he worked at became my favorite, and I would often go there just to watch him work. Several months later, I decided I wanted to take things further with him.

"I want you to meet my parents," I told him one day while we were having a picnic outdoors. "I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"Lilith!," he exclaimed. "How could you just spring that on a man." I started to frown, so he added that he felt the same way about me and had been meaning to ask as well.

"Why didn't you?" I asked him as I sipped some wine to hide my excitement. "Because even though you make it seem like we are equals, I know we are not," he answered, looking ashamed.

"I've heard you talking on the phone, the million-dollar deals you make are proof of how rich you are, but I'm just a waiter trying to save up some money to open my own restaurant, I could never be what you need."

"Jonathan!" I shouted. "Don't talk like that. I am well aware of your financial status and have decided it does not matter. What matters is that you have the zeal to work and a desire to see yourself at a better place, I believe the riches will come in time."

That day, we spent the entire picnic talking about our plans for the future, and when we parted ways, he agreed to meet my parents at his workplace.

The following day, we both sat opposite my parents in a private booth of the restaurant Jonathan worked in. He had taken the day off and was dressed in the finest clothes he owned. I couldn't have been more proud of my choice.

I introduced him to my parents, who were both millionaires, and I could immediately tell they were evaluating him. My father spoke first. "What do you do boy?" he asked.

Jonathan hesitated only for a second. "I work in this restaurant sir," he said.

"You mean you own the restaurant?" my father said, his eyebrows raised. "No sir, I am a waiter here," Jonathan answered shakily.

My mom and I remained silent, our eyes on the men. "How much do you make per month waiting tables boy?" my father asked.

"$1500 sir."

"Humph," my father scoffed. "Do you know how much I make?"

"I—" Jonathan began, but my dad cut him off. "A hundred thousand dollars!"

At that, he turned to my mom and requested that they leave because he would no longer deal with my beggar boyfriend, who he believed was unfit to sit before them.

"Father!" I shouted.

Jonathan was crestfallen, he had predicted this would happen, and I'd been the one to convince him otherwise. He apologized for wasting their time and took his leave sadly.

"You've ruined everything!" I exclaimed to my parents then I followed Jonathan.

When I caught up with him, he asked that we not meet again and left me standing with tears in my eyes.

I returned to meet my mother who was speaking to my father. "Jerry, I'm leaving you," she said.

"What? Fiona, you can't be serious," he said. "Why would you do such a thing?"

"You treated that boy like gutter trash."

"And it's no less than he deserves for not knowing his place," my father said.

"Who are you to decide that Jerry?" my mom asked. "Have you forgotten how you started?"

We both knew my father's history. He wasn't always rich. When he was younger, he started out washing dishes at a fast food joint where he was constantly ridiculed for his lofty dreams.

My mom, who had been dating him at the time, was the only one who believed in him. "I believed in you back then because I knew you were smart and talented. Did you forget you had no penny to your name?"

"I had my parents lend you some money to start your company and that is how you became a success. How could you write that boy off like that?"

After lashing out at him for a few more minutes, she packed her things to leave, and I followed her because she had said enough. My father sat at the booth, and when he stood up to leave, he was brought the bill.

He opened his wallet to pay, and a penny fell out. It was the first one he ever made, and it had been from dishwashing. He realized how pompous he had been and decided he would fix things.

The next day, he returned to the restaurant and surreptitiously watched Jonathan work. He saw how hardworking he was and approached him to apologize for his rude behavior.

He invited Jonathan to his office and asked him about his business plan. After listening to it, he decided the boy had some innovative ideas, so he made him an offer he could not refuse.

"If you really love my daughter and promise to care for her all your life, I will give you some money to start your own restaurant."

Jonathan was delighted, and it was settled. He opened his restaurant some months later, and it became one of the most popular haunts for the affluent. We got married a year later, and it is my hope that we will stay that way for a long time to come.

What did we learn from this story?

• Pride is never the answer. Jerry had become so proud he had forgotten his own roots, which made him insult Jonathan the way he did. Thankfully, his wife reminded him of his past, and he was able to fix things.
• Hard work pays. If Jerry had not witnessed how hardworking Jonathan was himself, he might not have believed the boy had potential. When he saw the boy's zeal to work, he decided to give him a chance, and it turned out well.

Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a woman who humiliated her husband's daughter from her first marriage and gets taught a lesson.

This account is inspired by our reader's story but written by a professional writer. All names have been changed to protect identities and ensure privacy. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.