Oh His Last Day after He Was Fired, Gardener Finds Jewelry in Pot of Soil Next to Boss’ House – Story of the Day

Jacob worked as a gardener and was trying to raise money for his sick mother. His boss's daughter, Lucy, was a sweet girl who wanted to help him, so she talked to her dad. Her father thought Jacob had tricked his daughter and fired him, but Jacob discovered something shocking on his last day of work.

"Mom, everything is going to be alright. I'm getting more and more jobs, thanks to this project with Mr. Barnes, and we're going to get the money for you medicines and everything you need," Jacob assured his mother on the phone. She had called him, interrupting his work at Mr. Barnes' house, but he always answered in case of any emergency.

As he returned his phone to his pocket after saying goodbye to his mother, he discovered that Mr. Barnes' daughter, Lucy, was standing right beside him. She was 12 years old and surprisingly kind, considering that she was born into massive wealth in Connecticut.

"Hey Jacob," she said, her hands behind her back as she swang her body back and forth.

The patch of dirt looked brand new as if someone had worked on it the night before, but that didn't make sense.

"Hey, Lucy. How are you today? I'm planting the roses your father said you wanted for this area today," he told her with a smile.

"Do you need money for something?" Lucy said, disregarding what he had just told her.

Jacob nodded reluctantly. "Yes, my mom is sick. But this work is totally going to help us, and your garden is going to be the prettiest in the neighborhood."

Lucy nodded with pursed lips and changed the subject back to gardening.

The following day, Jacob arrived at work and was met by a red-faced Mr. Barnes, his expression full of anger. "You! You tricked my daughter into asking me for money! How dare you, you worthless man!" the older businessman yelled at him.

Jacob raised his hands in defense. "No, sir. I never did that. I swear! I would never do that!"

But Mr. Barnes didn't want to hear it. He shook his head, pointed his finger at Jacob, and said, "I want you to finish today's work because you left a horrible messy patch of dirt on the side of the house. But it's your last day here! Do you understand?" the older man demanded.

Jacob could only nod in shock, and Mr. Barnes stomped away, still angry at him. Jacob walked towards the shed with hunched shoulders, lamenting that he had just lost one of the best-paying gigs he had ever had. He wasn't halfway done with the project, and now he wouldn't get enough for his mother's treatment.

He wished Lucy had never said anything, but she was a sweet young girl who only wanted to help. It wasn't her fault. He grabbed his tools from the shed and inspected that patch of dirt Mr. Barnes was talking about, though he didn't remember starting on the section.

The patch of dirt looked brand new as if someone had worked on it the night before, but that didn't make sense. He was sure he hadn't touched anything in that area. Yesterday was all about Lucy's roses a few feet away.

He started rummaging through the dirt, thinking it could've been a dog hiding something, and then his hand touched a hard surface. He pulled his hand away, shocked, then grabbed the shovel and dug. The clink he heard indicated that something metal had been buried there, and he went down on his knees to uncover the items.

Jacob was startled when he pulled a golden chalice out of the soil, followed by an antique clock and several jewelry pieces. He was inspecting the items when a huge bellow resounded from behind him.

"HOW DID YOU STEAL THOSE? DID YOU COME INTO MY HOUSE AND GRAB OUR THINGS? Oh my god, even my grandmother's jewels! I'm calling 911 immediately, you worthless thief!" Mr. Barnes yelled and turned, presumably to reach for the phone, but Lucy came rushing out.

"NO! DAD! NO! I buried those there!" she revealed, shocking both adults.

"Don't try to defend him, Lucy. He is a thief!" her father scolded, still angry but lowering his tone for the little girl.

"I am not defending anyone. When you told me last night that his money problems were not our problems, I grabbed a few things. We don't need them, But they could really help out Jacob's mom!" Lucy wailed, starting to cry.

While Mr. Barnes registered shock at his daughter's confession, Jacob spoke up. "Sir, I swear that I never told or begged your daughter for anything, and I wouldn't have kept these items either. I just uncovered them because you told me about this pot of soil."

The older man looked at Jacob and nodded his head, although it was evident that he was reeling from everything. But he later checked security cameras and saw that his daughter had indeed buried the items late last night. He apologized to Jacob for his outburst and allowed him to keep his job.

To make up for his actions, the businessman told several of his friends about Jacob and how great he was at his job. This led to more job opportunities for Jacob in their affluent neighborhood, which eventually earned him enough to pay for the treatments his mother needed.

What can we learn from this story?

• Never judge a person by their social status or their profession. Mr. Barnes distrusted Jacob when Lucy begged for money for him and assumed his gardener had stolen jewelry from him. But he was wrong and apologized in the end.
• Children have a simpler and kinder view of the world than most adults. Lucy didn't understand why her father was so angry when she only wanted to help. That's because kids can see the world naïvely and with a pure heart.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about the son of a rich man who disrespected the house gardener and regretted it later.

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