Young Guy Mocks Old Man in Store, Next Day Realizes It's His New Boss – Story of the Day

After a tricky conversation with his father, Colin exited his office angrily and went to buy groceries. At the store, he mocked an older man who was too slow for his liking, only to see him the next day at his office. He even expected the old man to become his boss, much less what happened years later.

"Dad, please," Colin almost begged his father for help.

"No! I told you that business was not a good idea. Figure it out yourself or go back to law school like the rest of your family!" his father screamed through the other line, and Colin cringed when he heard him slam the phone.

He almost threw his own against the wall, but that would've been stupid. His entire life had been planned since he was born—law school and becoming a criminal defense lawyer like his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

Colin thought he wanted that, but halfway through his degree, he switched to business school, shocking the entire family. He soon founded a start-up with a fantastic tech product supply idea, but no one understood his vision.

His savings had run out, and he was looking for investors. Unfortunately, no one seemed that interested. Colin had attended parties, smooched with wealthy business people in the area, met the right people, and reached out to old classmates, but nothing came of it.

Asking his father for money was not ideal, but Colin thought he would cave and help his only son. He still thought his son should've become a lawyer, although it wasn't his passion.

He stared at his empty office in a tiny building and shook his head. Looking at his phone again, he noticed a reminder to buy a few things from the grocery store, and it was perfect timing. He needed to get away from his depressing situation.

The store didn't have the kind of bread he loved, so that was even more irritating, but even worse, an old man was using the self-checkout register. Colin sighed and got behind him because the other clerks were busy too.

The old man fumbled with his items, and Colin bent down to pick one up.

"Thank you, young man," the old man said.

Colin barely cracked a smile and started tapping his feet, hoping the man would hurry. But he didn't. He wasn't placing the items correctly on the reader, which took longer than necessary.

"Come on, man," Colin finally snapped. "If you don't know how to use these machines, go to the regular registers and stop wasting the other customers' time."

"I'm sorry, young man," the old man looked at him, squinting.

"What? Am I rude? Yeah, so?" Colin used a mocking tone. "Technology is not for everyone, old man. You either learn fast or get left behind!"

Finally, a store employee came to assist the older man, as Colin's mocking words had attracted other customers. He rang his items quickly and exited the market just as fast. The older man was just finishing his purchase when Colin's car passed by.

***

Colin was checking his emails the next day, trying desperately to connect with an investor and get a meeting, when the door to his office opened wide. He jumped from his chair.

"Hey, what's the meaning of this?" he asked, appalled and ready to call security.

"Are you Mr. Feinstein?" a man in a sharp suit asked in a no-nonsense tone.

"Yes," Colin frowned.

Then, other men appeared, entering his office one by one. After years of seeing his father and grandfather dealing with the same kind of people, Colin knew they were lawyers. However, his jaw almost dropped when the older man was the grocery store entered behind the others.

Unlike the fumbling cute retiree he saw yesterday, this man was dressed to the nine and carrying a briefcase. "Mr. Feinstein, I have an offer for your company. These are my lawyers. Can you call one of your own? I want to get this done quick," the old man said, and Colin could only scramble to find seats for everyone in his office.

He contacted his cousin, who handled corporate law, and quickly got him to the meeting. The man was Mr. Cleary, the owner of an asset management firm. They wanted Colin's company under the condition he would give up complete ownership and only stay to run it as Chief Technology Officer.

Colin didn't want to, but Mr. Cleary made it clear that no one else would invest. He was cunning, vicious, really, and his cousin said this was a good deal. Reluctantly, Colin agreed. But that was only the beginning.

Mr. Cleary didn't let him handle things on his own. He breathed down Colin's neck, berated his mistakes, told him he was useless for business, and even insulted him even when he managed to fix his errors and get things right.

Colin was stuck because, despite the nightmare, the company grew exponentially. Mr. Cleary's connections and the people he brought in got things running. Soon, it was thriving, and the success got Colin's father off his back.

Eventually, he became CEO, leaving his previous roles to amazingly qualified people. Mr. Cleary had stepped back long ago and let him handle things. He hadn't seen him in a while. One day, a lawyer – one of the many he had met during that fateful moment years ago – stepped again into his office.

"Mr. Cleary has passed. There are a few things we need to discuss, Mr. Feinstein. But first, you must read this letter," the lawyer sat again, just as no-nonsense as he was years ago. He passed Colin a letter written on Mr. Cleary's stationery.

His fingers trembled as he opened it. He's giving me my company, right?

"Colin,

I met a kid years ago at a grocery store that was biting more than he could chew, but I knew there was something about you that would make you good at business. I tested you all those years. I put you through the wringer actually. But it worked. You're ready to take over this company and my asset management fund. Good luck, and don't screw up, idiot."

His eyes went to the lawyer, flaring in surprise as his head shook. It couldn't be real. But the lawyer confirmed it. He had brought in paperwork for Colin to sign. The process took a while as he read through stuff and called his cousin again.

But eventually, they were done. Colin was Mr. Cleary's official successor and the new owner of a vast empire. When everyone left the office, he stood, watching the bustle of the city at night with his hands in his pockets.

"Stupid old man," he whispered, and a tear ran down his face.

What can we learn from this story?

• Never judge someone by the things they can't do. Colin mocked an older man because he was slow at the register, not knowing he owned a huge management fund worth millions.
• People will test and put you through hell to reach your potential. While it doesn't work for everyone, Colin got better at business because Mr. Cleary pushed him. He believed in the rude boy from the supermarket.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a rich woman who mocked a poor older man, but two days later, they switched roles.

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.