Stopping on the Sidewalk
An elderly man with a long white beard held out a stainless steel container toward passing shoppers.
He sat on a cold concrete ledge outside a busy supermarket, his grey sweater torn with small holes across the shoulders and chest.
Pedestrians pushed past him carrying stuffed plastic grocery bags, their eyes fixed straight ahead on the parking lot and busy street.
The old man lowered his chin and held the metal container in both hands, asking softly if anyone had something he could eat.
A young man wearing a dark blue jacket and a backpack stopped directly in front of him.
He reached into his paper grocery sack and pulled out a freshly prepared turkey sandwich alongside a clear bottle of water.
He placed both items directly into the metal tin held by the older man.
A Question on the Curb
The elderly man looked up from his bench, his brow furrowing as he gripped the food package.
He pointed out that the young man had clearly purchased the meal for himself.
The young man smiled, reassuring him that buying another sandwich was easy enough to do later in the day.
The old man unwrapped the clear plastic layer around the bread, holding the sandwich in his worn hands while looking up again.
He asked why the young stranger had chosen to stop for him when everyone else on the sidewalk kept walking.
The young man adjusted his backpack strap over his dark jacket.
He replied that seeing everyone else walk right past was the exact reason he felt compelled to stop.
He told the man to take care before turning around and walking down the city pavement.
Stepping Into the High-Rise
The following morning, the young man walked through the sliding glass doors of a modern corporate high-rise downtown.
His black backpack rested over one shoulder as he walked across the polished marble lobby toward the front reception desk.
A receptionist in a grey suit blazer greeted him and confirmed his arrival for a scheduled job interview with the company director.
He smoothed down his collar and walked toward the bank of elevators in the center of the lobby.
The stainless steel doors slid open, and a senior executive dressed in a pinstriped navy suit stepped out to escort him down the hallway.
They walked past broad glass office partitions overlooking the city below.
The executive turned to him and mentioned hearing about his interaction outside the grocery store the previous day.
The job candidate stopped in his tracks, his eyes opening wide as he asked how anyone in the building could know about that moment.
A New Desk in the Corner Office
The executive opened a set of double dark-wood doors leading into the main corner suite.
Inside the room, a man turned around from behind a large executive desk overlooking the floor-to-ceiling windows.
He wore a sharply fitted charcoal suit with a white pocket square folded into his chest pocket and a luxury watch on his wrist.
A thick white beard framed his face as he stepped forward with a broad smile.
It was the exact same elderly man who had been sitting on the concrete curb outside the grocery store.
The young applicant stood rooted in place, his hands relaxing by his sides as his jaw dropped slightly.
The director reached into a black leather folder on his desk and opened a set of papers.
He handed the folder across the desk into the young man’s waiting hands.
The young man looked down at the document, reading the title printed in bold black lettering at the top: Employment Agreement.
The silver-bearded director clasped his hands in front of his suit jacket and smiled as the young man held the open leather folder in his hands.
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