I Took My Adoptive Grandparents to an Upscale Restaurant and Learned the Truth

A Family Built on Kindness

My name is Mike Thompson. I have elderly parents, but they are not my biological parents. My real parents passed away in a car accident when I was very young.

With no relatives to turn to, I was placed in a foster care facility where I lived until I was five. Although I felt lonely without a mom and dad, I was happy to have delicious food. Those were moments of sheer joy and my only pleasure.

One day, a sophisticated elderly couple visited the facility. I have a vague memory of them watching me eat meals with their radiant smiles. They had such kind smiles.

After a while, this couple, the Thompsons, decided to adopt me. I quickly opened up to them, calling them grandpa and grandma. Grandpa and grandma grew vegetables in a small garden and sold them at the local farmers’ market.

The leftovers from the market, or the perfect ones that couldn’t be sold, would always end up on our dinner table. I love Grandma’s pickled cucumbers and Grandpa’s potato soup.

“Be grateful for the food.” That was Grandpa’s favorite saying.

“There are many people who are struggling with no food to eat every day. We must be thankful for each meal, Mike. I hope you grow up to be someone who can help those who are hungry and struggling.” Grandpa said.

“Got it.” I nodded gravely, and Grandpa smiled gently. His teachings are deeply imprinted in my heart.

Our life was never luxurious, but I was very happy growing up filled with lots of love. I helped with the garden work while also attending high school.

Pursuing a Dream

After graduation, I planned to get a job to support our household.

“Don’t worry about the money. Do what you want to do.” Grandpa said.

I think Grandpa understood what I wanted to do. I wanted to do a job that could help people in the future. But at that time, I didn’t have enough knowledge of what to do for that and didn’t even know where to start.

So, I wanted to go to college and learn about social work, economics, logistics, and much more.

“For times like this.” Grandpa said, as he handed me a bank book.

The account was in my name, Mike Thompson. He had been saving money for me to go to college. I couldn’t hold back my tears at Grandpa’s thoughtfulness.

Since then, I studied hard and was able to get into the college I wanted. I was happy but also felt guilty for putting a burden on Grandpa and Grandma. I had never seen them indulging in any luxuries; they always put me first before themselves.

Once I start working, I vowed to repay them in a big way. With that in mind, I threw myself into my studies. Four years have passed since then.

This spring, I graduated from college and got a job at a food company called Impress Foods. Impress Foods not only manufactures and sells food but also focuses on social welfare through food. I learned this from Grandpa.

One of his friends works at Impress Foods, and he happened to hear about it.

“Maybe the job you want to do is here.” Said Grandpa.

As a member of the sales department, I threw myself into everything from copying documents and inputting data to handling phone calls. I arrived at work earlier than anyone else and thoroughly read documents to learn about our products.

Sometimes, I would accompany senior sales staff on their rounds. I wanted to learn the job quickly and become a full-fledged member of society.

The Shadow of Director Johnson

However, there was one person who didn’t think well of me. It was Director Johnson, the head of the sales department.

Director Johnson, who is also a member of the board of directors, is a powerful executive within the company. There were rumors that he was tough on people who didn’t help him to get promoted, especially newcomers.

And sure enough, I quickly caught his eye. He seemed to think of me as an intrusive and impertinent newcomer as he saw me pleading with the senior sales staff to let me do anything.

One day, Director Johnson suddenly came to my desk and ordered me to create a proposal for a new product.

“You seem to be quite a hard worker, so you can do it in a day, right?” He said.

“Well, that might be a bit…” I started.

“What? You’re new here and talking back?” He interrupted.

“I’m sorry.” I replied.

Unable to resist, I compiled as many ideas as I could and managed to create the proposal and submitted it to Director Johnson. It was a stir-fry vegetable sauce inspired by the cooking of my grandma.

Director Johnson skimmed through it and then pushed the proposal back at me, laughing disdainfully.

“Who would buy something like this? Our customers are looking for something more luxurious. We don’t need such cheap stuff. Have you ever eaten anything nice?” He asked.

“I’m sorry. I’m not very familiar with high-end items. Could you please give me some more feedback on what needs to be improved?” I asked.

“Think for yourself. Well, maybe that’s too much for you, having grown up in a poor family. Haha.” He said.

“I apologize.” I said.

This kind of thing continued daily. To be honest, it was hard to go to the office, but I absolutely could not quit because I had a reason to stay on.

I had a dream to take my grandpa and grandma to a fancy restaurant with my first paycheck. I’m sure the two of them have never been to a high-end place. I don’t think they’ve eaten out much at all.

To raise me, they must have sacrificed a lot. I wanted to let them indulge at least once. I wanted to let them eat their fill of an astonishingly delicious feast.

I wanted to repay my two guardians who had raised me as if I were their real family.