From 5 years ago…

To the Dad who taught me how to be an adult<br><br>I hope you can see this so that I can thank you!<br><br>I was a sophomore at the time, and I was taking an engineering class. One day I was late to class and this man was in the parking space I drove up to. I couldn’t see the car, just the door. I didn’t expect him to get out and walk behind my car so when I pulled forward, I didn’t realize he was there. I don’t know what possessed me to not look in the rearview before I pulled out but I didn’t. I looked back and saw a man. I stopped, got out of my car, and asked if he was alright. A woman, I assume his wife, started yelling at me, I apologized profusely to both of them, and he said it was fine. The lady, still yelling, said I should have looked before I pulled out, I said yes ma’am and I’m super sorry, and then he and the lady took the parking spot and I drove away.<br><br>Okay, so about halfway through the year, my car had been having a lot of problems. I hadn’t been able to afford a new car so I thought I was going to have to drop out. I was in tears, all my professors were talking to me and they all said they were going to have to fail me, and I was alone. I had no friends, and I didn’t know what to tell my parents.<br><br>I saw that man from a few months before. I started crying again and he asked if I was ok, so I told him I was going to have to drop out because I didn’t have a good car, and he asked me what kind of car I had. I told him and he acted confused. He said that he thought that kind of car was really reliable, so I said it was but that mine just wasn’t. He said he was an automotive engineer, so would I like to take it to his house and he could look at it? I was super surprised but also a little sad. I didn’t want some old man to have to fix my car. I didn’t want to feel like a burden and I didn’t have the money to pay him. But I didn’t have any other options.<br><br>He had 2 daughters with him. They were very quiet. All of them got in their car, I followed them, and we went to their house. I didn’t expect them to live in a mansion. I felt bad for them that they had to help me. I didn’t want to feel like a charity case, so I told them I would do all the work to fix it. He said that he would pay his daughters to help me, and that they needed the money and experience.<br><br>I went inside and had dinner with them. I had never eaten so well! The food was so good. They asked me about my situation. I told them about how I didn’t have any friends and that I didn’t talk to my parents. I told them I didn’t have any money and that I had been living in my car. They asked where I was going to go, I said I didn’t know, I hadn’t figured it out. The dad said I could stay in their extra room until I got back on my feet. I started crying again and I apologized. The mom said I didn’t have to apologize and that I was family now.<br><br>They treated me like I was their son. I don’t know how long I was there, but the dad helped me get my car back in good condition. I stayed with them until I graduated. I had been living with them for about 5 years so the dad asked me when I was going to leave the house. I didn’t know, I didn’t have anywhere to go. They were both really mad at me for that. They said that I had to move out, and that I needed to get a life. They said I needed to stop being a burden, but I don’t think they meant it. They took me to a car dealership. He bought me a really nice car and said that I needed to stop driving that piece of crap and that I deserved better, and I better not sell it. I asked how I was going to pay him back. The mom said I didn’t have to and so did the dad. I said that wasn’t fair, and they said I needed to stop feeling bad for myself.<br><br>I had no idea this man was so influential until he took me to his work. Everyone knew him, and they all called him Mr.! I asked why, and the mom said because he was a very important man. I said oh ok, so he’s like a boss or something? And she laughed and said I didn’t understand. She said that he was a very very important man, and a very rich man. I said ok so he’s like Bill Gates? And she said he was a lot more important than Bill Gates. I asked what he did and she said he owned a lot of very big companies and that he was a very smart man. She said that he helped feed almost a billion people. I said I hope he’s happy, and she said he wasn’t. I asked why, she said he was sad because he didn’t have a son.<br><br>A few days later, I finished packing my things and they drove me to my new house. He had bought me a house and furniture and everything I needed. I didn’t know what to do. I asked how I was going to pay him back, and he said I didn’t have to. He said that he wasn’t going to let me struggle anymore. I said that he didn’t have to do any of this and that I could take care of myself. He said that he would keep giving me money and buying me things, and that I needed to learn to accept that people cared about me. I said ok.<br><br>I never forgot about that man. He’s the reason I have a good job and a nice house. He’s the reason I have food to eat and a car to drive. He’s the reason I finished school. He taught me how to be an adult. He taught me that there was good in this world. I hope he’s doing well.