Lonely Janitor Gives His Burger to Orphan Starving for 2 Days, a Year Later Boy Calls Him ‘Dad’ — Story of the Day

A janitor was approached by a little boy who had starved for two days, so he bought him a burger and made a big decision after that one meeting. However, he had to change his entire life to reach his goal.

What is the worst pain you can ever imagine?

Patrick often thought about this question in the years after his wife and child passed in a horrible crash. He lost everything in just one night. Before that, he would've thought many things were painful, but now he knew that missing them was the worst pain in the world.

After they died, he broke utterly. He had been a successful lawyer with enough money to do everything for his family, and he did. But afterward, he became a shell of a person who couldn't focus in court and couldn't do anything right. So, one day, he decided to step down from the law firm he had created with his friends from law school and walked away from his dream profession.

He also sold his home because the memories of that pain were too much for him as well. However, he couldn't stay idle all day, so he applied for a job as a janitor at a local mall.

It was perfect. It was tiring enough that he could get home, shower, eat, and flop down on his bed. It helped him deal with the pain. And after some time, he thought he was doing better.

He left that office with a new purpose in mind, and he was going to make this happen.

***

"Sir, do you have anything to eat?" Patrick heard a high-pitched voice, and he turned around from cleaning a store window to spot a little boy. He was not dirty, but Patrick could tell that his clothes were cheap, and he looked pretty skinny.

"Hey, I don't have anything on me right now, kid," Patrick shook his head. "Where's your mom?"

"I don't have a mom," the boy answered and sighed. He started to walk away, but Patrick stopped him.

"Wait, wait. Do you want a burger?"

"Yes!" the little boy replied, his sunken eyes lighting up like the 4th of July.

"Ok, come with me," Patrick said, leaving his rag near the rest of his cleaning supplies. They went into the mall, and he went to the known burger shop and asked for a kid's meal.

They sat down, and the little boy went directly for the soda, slurping loudly. He unwrapped the burger and started munching down quickly. "Hmmm," he moaned. "Yummy!"

Patrick smiled. It felt great to buy something for a hungry kid, but he had to do something. If the boy didn't have a mom, he might be lost. However, he would let him enjoy his burger for a few more minutes.

"I haven't eaten in two days," the boy said after finishing. "That was so good! I'm so full!"

Patrick balked at his words. "He hadn't eaten in two days? How is that possible?" he wondered and started asking some more questions.

To his shock, the kid lived in a group home nearby and had escaped hoping to find some food at the mall because he hated most of the things offered there. "I wished I had a family… " the boy lamented after finishing his soda.

Patrick felt terrible, and although he knew that some group homes did the best they could thanks to donations and other funds, it was still not fair that this kid was alone with no family of his own. But then again, Patrick was also alone with no one. Strangely, they were kindred spirits.

"Hey, do you like Legos?" he asked the kid, whose eyes widened once more.

"Yeah!"

"Let's go," he said, grinning.

Patrick bought the kid several Legos, some snacks, and more. Then, he went to the janitorial office and talked to his boss. He had to leave for a while to take that kid back to his group home. He promised he would be back and make up for the missing work.

"Sure, Pat. Go ahead," his boss said with a worried look. But she trusted him and let them go.

Patrick walked the kid back to the group home, and some of the staff rushed to him. "Alex! Gosh! Thank God!" a nice-looking woman said, hugging the kid.

"Miss Lydia! I had a burger! And this man bought me toys! It was the best day ever!" the little boy said excitedly.

"Thank you so much, sir," she stood up and shook the janitor's hand.

"No problem. I'm Patrick," he said, biting his lips.

Suddenly, Alex turned to Patrick, stretching his neck to look up, and floored him with his words. "Can I go with you? Can you be my dad?"

Something integral in Patrick changed at that request. It was so honest and unfiltered that he had no idea what to say. "Er… " he muttered, panicking.

Lydia intervened. "Alex, you can't just ask strangers about that," she chided him gently.

"But he bought me food and toys. That's what a dad does, right?" Alex looked at Lydia and back at Patrick expectantly.

"Hmmm… we'll see what I can do, kid. It's not easy to become a dad," Patrick answered awkwardly.

"Ok," Alex shrugged and marched inside as if he hadn't rocked Patrick's world.

"I'm sorry about that," Lydia said, breathless.

"Actually, is there any way that would be possible? This kid… well, he reminds me of me," Patrick asked, curious.

"Sure. Come in, and we'll talk," Lydia said, surprised.

Unfortunately, after Patrick revealed his job and current salary, mentioning that he was not married and had no family after his own died, Lydia shook her head.

"I'm afraid it's going to be hard for you to get approved for foster care. Did you say you're currently renting a one-bedroom apartment? We need kids to have their own room; normally, couples are preferred. Of course, I'm so sorry about what happened, but I don't know if it's possible," she explained carefully.

"Is there really no way? I thought we had progressed. There are tons of great single dads, and I mean, having one parent is better than nothing, right?" Patrick continued, his debating instincts surfacing.

"Well, maybe if you changed your living situation and had a better-paying job with much more flexibility," Lydia said thoughtfully. "We could reconsider after that."

Patrick stood up quickly, almost spooking Lydia. "Deal! I'll turn things around."

He left that office with a new purpose in mind, and he would make this happen.

***

A year later, things were very different. He had a new apartment and a new job at a family law firm. His salary had more than tripled now, and he could offer Alex everything.

He visited the kid every single week since that first meeting and knew all the staff. Lydia had seen the transformation, and they finally approved his foster parent process. It took a long time, but Alex would finally be going home with him.

Lydia brought Alex out of the group home with all his bags and things, and Patrick was waiting for him outside with the biggest smile he could remember having in years. Alex's eyes widened again like two giant saucers, and his grin brightened his whole face.

"DAD!" he said and ran to Patrick, hugging his legs.

"Son," he choked and hugged his kid.

What can we learn from this story?

• Don't be afraid to move on and find new ways to be happy. Patrick went through unbearable pain, but once he met Alex, he decided to change his life to be able to foster the kid. He found a family to love once again.
• Some encounters are meant to be. Patrick's life might not have changed if Alex had not crossed his path. The kid was a miracle, and their meeting was written in the stars.

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 janitor who adopted an abandoned baby, and the birth mom showed up years later.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers 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.