Months after Helping a Homeless Man Who Lost His Memory, Waitress Becomes a Millionaire – Story of the Day

When a homeless man saved her from an accident, Amanda invited him to dinner at her house. After hearing his story, she offered him shelter for longer. But then, they stumbled upon someone who recognized him and discovered a shocking truth.

“Careful!” Amanda heard a loud yell and was pushed off the road by a pair of strong arms. She was tired from her daily shift as a waitress at the local seafood restaurant. The work was challenging, but at least it was better than retail.

Unfortunately, she was so lost in thought that she started crossing the road during a green light. However, a good Samaritan was standing nearby and saved her.

She turned around and looked up at the man. He was familiar, and Amanda realized he was the homeless man who often hung around the area. He never came to her restaurant, but she had seen him wandering around during her short smoke breaks. His clothes were in tatters, his beard was overgrown and dirty, and his eyes seemed sad.

“Thank you, sir. I lost my mind for a second and didn’t realize where I was going,” Amanda told him, grateful for his help. The man nodded, mumbled an imperceptible “you’re welcome,” and started to walk away.

Amanda looked at his retreating back for a second and called him back. She invited him over to her house for dinner. She wouldn’t do something like that usually, but her son was staying at a friend’s house tonight, and this man deserved a nice hot meal, especially after his heroic actions.

Surprisingly, the man rejected the offer, but Amanda didn’t take no for an answer. She insisted and refused to let him walk away until he agreed. Finally, he relented, and she led the way to her house. When they arrived, Amanda decided that a meal was not enough.

She went into her room and gathered a few clothes that belonged to her late father. They were old but clean and in excellent condition.

“Listen, why don’t you take a shower. It’ll make you feel so much better. Here are some clothes, and the bathroom is stocked with everything you could need,” Amanda said, handing him the clothes and almost pushing him into the bathroom. “Oh! Wait a minute. I don’t even know your name.”

The man looked at her with soulful eyes and said, “My name is Paul. Thank you.”

Amanda smiled as he closed the bathroom, and then she went to the kitchen to get dinner ready.

***

“Ma’am, where do I put the towel?” Amanda heard as she was stirring a pasta sauce and laughed.

“Please, don’t call me ‘ma’am.’ I’m Amanda. That word makes me feel—”

She was going to tell him the term made her feel old. She was a single mother in her 30s, but Amanda still didn’t feel like an adult at all. “Ma’am” might be respectful, but she always hated it. However, her words died in her mouth when she spotted Paul. He was freshly showered and had arranged his beard neatly.

The man in front of her was as handsome as they come, and he wasn’t as old as she initially thought. He had to be in his 40s. Why was he homeless?

Paul repeated his question when Amanda gawked for too long, and she snapped out of her surprise, indicating where he could place the towel. Dinner was ready, so she called him to the kitchen table. While they ate, she asked him about his life and how he ended up on the streets, hoping it wasn’t too insensitive.

“I’m sorry, Amanda. But I have no idea what happened,” Paul revealed while spooning spaghetti and popping it in his mouth.

“I don’t understand.”

“Honestly, me neither. One day, I woke up in an alley, and that was it. I had no memories. Nothing. All I remembered was my first name. Everything else disappeared. Well, I seem to be good at math, and I have some general knowledge about the world. But other than that, it’s all a blur,” Paul revealed and sipped from a Coke can.

“That’s crazy. You didn’t go to the police? They could probably find out who you are,” Amanda suggested, eating her spaghetti slowly.

“I tried that, at first. But I had some bruises on my face at the time, and they thought I was on something. They told me to get out if I didn’t want to get arrested,” Paul explained as he finished his food.

“I can’t believe it. They’re supposed to help out,” Amanda mumbled, not knowing what else to say.

“Yeah, well. Honestly, this city has not been kind, and the snowy season has been the worst. I mean, I know Bozeman, Montana, gets a lot of snow, but it’s been bitterly cold. This is the first time I’ve been inside a warm house since I woke up around four months ago,” Paul added, looking at her with the most grateful expression in the world.

Amanda didn’t have any words. She was always struggling with money. Being a single mother was tough, and she depended on the tips at the restaurant. But at least, her house was completely paid off by her late parents and it was perfect. But her electric bill always went up during the winter.

She had been thinking about that while carelessly crossing the road, but now, she realized that others had an even worse time. Paul was not only homeless, hungry, and cold, but he also didn’t remember his life. The least she could do was help him out.

“I have a plan,” Amanda began and told Paul to stay the night at her house since her son was at a sleepover that night. It was safe enough. She had a guest room that would work for him. But her plan involved looking at missing person ads and searching through Facebook. Also, if she went to the police station asking for help, they might be nicer.

***

“Please, there must be someone looking for this man,” Amanda said, raising her phone once again at the police officer. She had taken a picture of Paul on her cellphone and left early in the morning the following day to see if anyone could help her. Luckily, it was her one day off that week. Meanwhile, Paul stayed back at her house.

“Ma’am, there’s no Paul in our missing persons’ register. If you don’t have this person's last name, then it's impossible. We can’t search by pictures,” the officer told her, and Amanda finally gave up.

Paul rose from the couch when Amanda entered her house. “Any news?” he wondered, hopefully.

“I’m sorry, Paul. Apparently, there are no Pauls reported missing, and there’s nothing they could do. They didn’t recognize your face, which I still think is insane,” Amanda sighed, taking off her coat but stopping midway. “Oh, wait. I forgot. I have to go to the restaurant to pick up my check.”

“I’ll go with you,” Paul offered, and Amanda knew it was pointless to reject his offer. They talked on the bus, and she realized happily that Paul had a great sense of humor.

They arrived at the restaurant, and Amanda went to the back to see her manager. Mr. Perkins was kind, but he was a no-nonsense type of boss. He expected everyone to work hard and didn’t tolerate excuses. But he had been understanding enough to Amanda in the last two months since she worked there, especially when it came to her son.

“Here you go, Amanda. Now, go enjoy your day. I bet tomorrow is going to be a full house,” Mr. Perkins said, handing her the check.

“Sure, thank you. Hey, Mr. Perkins, do you know where I could find missing person ads?” Amanda wondered.

“I don’t know. At the police station?”

“I went there, and they didn’t help me.”

“What do you need?” Mr. Perkins questioned, frowning.

“There’s this man I’m helping. He lost his memories four months ago and has been wandering lost since then. He saved me yesterday. I want to help him out,” Amanda explained.

“Did you say four months?” Mr. Perkins asked, standing up slowly.

“Yes, why?”

“Well, where is he? Can I meet the man?”

“Sure, He’s waiting for me at the entrance,” she revealed, confused about her boss’s interest in Paul.

Mr. Perkins followed her, and Amanda thought she saw him almost sprinting to the entrance. It was still early enough that no other employees were at the front, and they didn’t open the restaurant for a few hours. Paul was sitting in the front area, where clients usually waited for their tables if the place was too busy to seat them right away.

But he stood when he heard them coming. Suddenly, Mr. Perkins exclaimed, “ROBERT!”

Her boss reached Paul and hugged him fiercely. “Mr. Stewart. Where have you been?”

Paul looked at the man in confusion and had no idea what to say. “Huh? Do you know who I am?”

“Do you know him?” Amanda chimed in.

“Oh, right! Your memories. Oh my god. We have to call your sister. Amanda, this is Robert Stewart. He’s the actual owner of the restaurant. He has been missing for months. That’s why what you said resonated with me,” Mr. Perkins revealed.

“Are you sure?” she asked with wide eyes. She had been working for two months, and no one had ever mentioned anything about a missing owner, and her co-workers liked to gossip.

“Yes, well. We don’t talk about it because Ms. Stewart — his sister — hated the subject. She tried to run the restaurant at first but then gave me the reins to do what I wanted,” Mr. Perkins began, and his eyes watered unexpectedly. “But it’s been hard because Robert is a way better restauranteur than me. You were missed, Boss!”

“But I remember my name is Paul?” Paul stated in confusion.

“Oh, I believe your middle name is Paul. I could be wrong. We could check,” Mr. Perkins replied.

“Wow, this is great!” Amanda finally exclaimed and smiled widely.

Mr. Perkins called Paul’s sister, who cried in his arms and couldn’t believe her brother had returned. She confirmed that Robert Stewart’s middle name was Paul, and they finally started piecing together what happened. Paul was shocked to learn that he came from an extremely wealthy family but worked hard to open his restaurant.

He lived in one of the most luxurious buildings in the area and had a net worth of millions. No one could believe that he had lived as a homeless person for months, but he looked completely different at the time.

The only part of the story they couldn’t figure out was how Paul ended up without his memories on an alley until the police took his statement. They discovered CCTV footage from that night four months ago. Paul had been dragged by a pair of thieves and beaten to a pulp, explaining his memory loss and lack of possessions.

After getting everything in order, Paul wanted to pick his life back up and started working at the restaurant. Remarkably, he retained everything about running the business and transitioned seamlessly into the role. Everyone was back to normal, except he now preferred to be called Paul instead of Robert or Mr. Stewart.

However, he often took breaks and talked with Amanda. They ate lunch together during her breaks, and he offered her a raise as thanks for saving him, although she never wanted anything in return. He had saved her first.

Eventually, he asked her out, and she accepted. Paul met her son, and the three of them went on family-friendly outings all the time. One day, he proposed to Amanda on the same road where they met, and she accepted.

Since she had saved him without expecting anything in return, Paul never asked her to sign a prenup, and Amanda never had to worry about money ever again.

What can we learn from this story?

• One act of kindness can change your life. Paul saved Amanda, and she returned the favor, not knowing how drastically her life would change afterward.
• Helping others may come with rewards. Amanda helped someone no one else had and became a millionaire in the process.

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 man who adopted a boy not knowing he was his biological son.

This account is inspired by our reader’s story and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations 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 info@amomama.com.