Lonely Man Loses 130 Lbs and Finds New Job to Adopt a Boy He Found in Basement — Story of the Day

Mike moved to his late uncle's old house after divorcing his ex-wife, who constantly called him a 'fat pig.' He ate all day, worked at a laundromat, and had no big dreams. But his life changed one night, and he lost 130 lbs to embrace a fresh start.

It was late in the night. Mike was watching TV and eating the leftover pepperoni pizza when a strange noise started to irk him. He ignored it at first, thinking it was all in his head, and turned up the TV volume. But the more he ignored it, the more persistent it became.

At one point, Mike turned off the TV and sat alone for a while, focusing his attention on the noise. That's when he realized it was coming from the house.

Mike, who was a big, plump man, took his time getting off the couch and grabbed the baseball bat beside the TV. Then he followed the noise, taking slow steps and trying to make as little noise as possible while walking on the creaking floorboards until he realized the sound was coming from the basement...

Mike pressed his ear to the basement door and was startled to hear someone crying inside. He flung open the door, baseball bat in hand, only to find a small child sitting there, hugging his knees and crying.

As soon as the boy's gaze met Mike's, he was about to flee through the broken window—which was how he got in—but Mike stopped him.

"Jesus! Kid, relax, alright? I'm not gonna hurt you or anything. What are you doing here?"

Appreciate people for who they are, regardless of how they look or where they come from.

"That... that..." he stuttered.

"What?" asked Mike.

"The bat..." said the boy, pointing to Mike's baseball bat, and he immediately dropped it. "OK, chill. I'm not holding it any longer, okay? What's your name? What are you doing here?"

In tears, the boy said, "I'm Jason. I live here at night."

"You, what? How long has this been going on, kid? You know sneaking into people's houses is illegal, right?"

"I—I'm sorry… I'm scared!" he said.

Mike comforted him and assured him that he was safe there. "Look, I got some pizza. Wanna join me? While we have it, you could tell me what's going on."

"Thank you," said Jason as he walked to the living room with Mike.

Jason pounced on the pizza as soon as Mike offered it, and the older man could see the boy hadn't eaten in days. He was frail, his clothes were filthy, and he had dark bags under his eyes.

"Slow down, okay?" Mike told Jason. "I'll get you some orange juice…"

After Jason finished eating, he told his story to Mike. He shared that he lived at a group home because his parents had died months ago in a car crash. The other kids at the group home were mean and bullied him, so he ran away.

"I don't stay in one place for long because I'm scared I'll be caught. Thanks for being nice to me… I kinda like it here."

"That's great, dude, but you can't live like this all your life. How about you go back to that place, and I come with you? Trust me; things will be different now… you see this?" Mike said, showing off his muscular arms. "They'll dread it, trust me."

Jason laughed. "Are you sure I'll be fine there? Those kids are mean…"

"Trust me, kid!" said Mike confidently. "You're young, and running away from things is never a solution. I'll be there for you, alright?"

So Mike drove Jason to the group home the next morning and spoke with his guardian to ensure the young boy wasn't bullied by the kids again. Everything was fine until he went to see Jason a few days later and found him crying.

"They teased me for this, Mike," Jason said as he gave Mike a bracelet made out of tiny stones. He had made it for Mike and was mocked for it.

"That's a beautiful piece, buddy!" Mike exclaimed as he wore it. "Thanks. Do you want me to give those kids a warning? Come on, let's show them who we are!"

Mike confronted the bullies and asked them to keep their distance from Jason. "You better watch out, boys!" said Mike, and one of the boys laughed.

"You can't do anything, fatso!" exclaimed the kid. "Did Jason get you food? Is that why you've come to his defense? He and you are both losers!"

"Stop it, Tor!" said Jason. "He's my—"

"Your father who ate all your food and kicked you out of home?"

"Yes!" said Mike loudly. "I'm his father! Yes, I am! And stay away from my son, or you won't be able to use that nasty mouth of yours!"

With that, Mike took a loud step toward the boys, and they all ran away quickly.

"Mike…" said Jason quietly as the guys left. "Did you mean it?"

"What?"

"My dad… will you become my dad? I'd love it…"

Mike sighed. "Would you really want that, buddy? You're ok with me being your dad?"

Jason nodded.

"Then let's do it, okay?" Mike said. "Let me speak with your guardian... or what is that thing... well, someone! Perhaps a social worker... you just have to wait, okay? I'll take you home. I swear."

Mike spoke with Jason's case worker, but he would need a foster parent certification, and he would need to be financially secure, which he was not. Besides, he would also have to undergo background verification and several other checks before Jason becomes his son.

A poor lonely Mike worked at a laundromat and struggled to make ends meet. He lived in the house left to him by his late uncle. He had gotten better jobs in the past, but he had never made it past the first day because he was very lazy. He hardly moved around, and all he did was eat.

For Jason, Mike decided to change that. He wanted to provide a good life for the orphan boy, so he decided to go to the gym and lose all the extra pounds before getting a good job. But his journey ahead wasn't easy.

On the first day at the gym, Mike fell off the treadmill, drawing mockery from the other gym-goers.

"That's not his cup of tea!"

"That kind of weight would require a lot of effort!"

"That fat bum is going to wreck the equipment in here. Why can't he take his flab somewhere else?"

These were just a few nasty remarks directed at Mike when he began working out. But he refused to give up. He looked at the bracelet Jason had given him daily, which motivated him to do his best.

And only a few months later, Mike had done it. He had lost 130 pounds and was barely recognizable. His next goal was to get a better job.

He had always wanted to work at the radio station, which had an office near his gym. When he bagged an interview there, he stood outside the interview room for a moment, taking in the beautiful chaos of the place. That day, he cracked the interview and bagged the job.

A month later, Mike applied to become Jason's foster parent. The young boy didn't recognize him for a moment when he walked into the building in a clean, pressed shirt and a decent pair of trousers.

"Wow, Mike... you... you look different!" Jason laughed.

"Well, I had to look a bit smart for my son," said Mike. "Let's get you home, buddy…"

That was three years ago. Mike became Jason's world and the best, best father. He and Jason cooked together, listened to the radio, and the Friday night baseball games with pepperoni pizza (the first pizza they shared was pepperoni, too!) became a ritual.

Then one day, Mike heard a surprising confession on the radio.

"It's Lauren," said the voice. "My ex-husband works at your radio station… I just want to confess that I still love him. We could get back together, honey… I know you are a different person now. You look different. You have changed… I talked to someone at the station, and they told me about you. How about getting together for dinner? The Restos at 8 p.m. Please come if you are willing to give us a chance. I'll be waiting for you."

Mike knew what it all meant. He did visit the diner, but with Jason, and when Lauren approached him, all he said was: "This is my son Jason. I'm sorry, Lauren, but this 'fat pig' is happy being a father. I don't think he needs a woman who can't appreciate the real him. Goodbye!"

What can we learn from this story?

• Appreciate people for who they are, regardless of how they look or where they come from. Lauren wanted to reconcile with Mike after he lost weight and looked attractive, while she disrespected him all his life and called him a 'fat pig.' Mike did the right thing by not falling for it.
• You're never alone. Someone out there needs you and will find their way to you. Jason and Mike met in the strangest circumstances and became each other's world.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a dad who went to pick up his daughter from daycare and learned his ex-wife, with no parental rights, had taken her away.

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