When she takes a shortcut to her office and accidentally sees him digging through public dumpsters, a rich lawyer’s son tells her, “I practiced what you preached, mom!” What she discovers next makes her deeply regretful. “Goodbye, Mom!!” Chris waved to his mother, Julia, as she kissed him goodbye from her car and drove away for work. Chris vanished into the crowd of students hurrying past the school gate and came to a halt…

“What exactly is it, Chris? We’re already running late. The bell will ring at any moment “A classmate’s voice cut in. “Nothing! I believe I left my assignment at home. I’ll just run home and come back, okay? Don’t tell anyone anything if they ask.” Chris dashed to the gate to see if his mother’s car had vanished. “Good! Mom has left for work. I can now go to the dumpsters! “He said this as he crept away from school, hoping his mother would never find out what he had been up to all week… Julia was halfway to her office when she hit a stumbling block.

“Sorry, ma’am, you can’t go any further…this road is blocked,” a road worker informed Julia. “Ma’am, at the end of the street, a tree has fallen. As a result, vehicles are being diverted to another route.” “Damn!!” Julia frowned and accepted the distraction. Her office was a ten-minute drive away, so she took a shortcut through a refugee neighborhood.
“Gosh! This road is riddled with potholes. I’m hoping I don’t have a flat!!” As Julia motioned for the wheel to be turned, she noticed a boy, who appeared to be 11 years old, digging through a dumpster in dirty clothes and emptying trash from a handheld sack bag.

Julia became concerned because the boy appeared to be familiar. A closer inspection revealed that the boy rummaging through the trash was her son, Chris! “What is he doing in the dumpster?” she wondered. She came to a halt and got out of the car. “CHRIS?? What on earth are you doing here?” She screamed as she was startled. When Chris saw his angry mother, he turned around and froze. “Mom, what-what are you doing here?” “What exactly am I doing here? I should have asked you that! What exactly are you doing here? And what’s that filthy garbage bag you’re clutching? And what exactly are you wearing? What happened to your uniform?”

Chris gulped, moving closer to his mother to explain. “Maintain your position! Take a look at yourself. You’re a scumbag. You’d better explain yourself, or you’ll see a different side of me.” Chris was speechless as Julia locked her gaze on him. She was enraged. Her only son, whom she had raised in luxury, was picking trash from dumpsters. But it sent shivers down her spine when Chris swallowed his fears and confessed the truth. “You know Sam, my best friend?” he asked. “Remember when I told you about him last week?” “I can’t recall anything. What about him???”

“I was simply assisting his sick mother. This is her responsibility. She makes a living by picking up and removing trash from dumpsters.” “What do you mean?” Julia screamed, unprepared for what was about to happen. “Mom, you, and dad have always taught me to stand up for others when they are in trouble, haven’t they? That’s exactly what I did “Chris got things started. “Sam does not have a father, and his mother feeds them by picking up trash. She became ill last week and was unable to work. Sam skipped school to work, but the boys began to tease him, calling him dirty names for picking garbage.”

“So I stood up for my best friend. Sam was simply assisting his mother. I defended him, and when they teased me, I decided to follow Sam’s example. I, too, wanted to assist his mother, and I have nothing to be ashamed of.” “It is not his fault that he is impoverished. That his mother gathers trash to feed him and his three siblings. Mom, you and dad both told me that no job is too big or too small, too dirty or too clean.” Julia’s heart was pierced by feelings of shame and guilt. She and her husband, Lucas, had recently divorced after twelve years of marriage, and it had taken its toll on her.

She won custody of Chris, and despite knowing how much he missed his father, she only allowed him to see Lucas on Saturdays. She wanted Chris to be wealthy and was willing to go to any length to make him happy. So seeing him pick up garbage on the side of the road did not sit well with her. “However, there are several other ways you could have assisted your friend. Not necessarily by becoming a garbage collector, correct?” “When you were talking to your client last week, I came to you for assistance. I asked if you could provide shelter for my friend and his family. However, you refused!”

Chris ran into Sam, who was crying on the road, about a week ago. He consoled him and discovered they couldn’t pay rent on the trailer they were living in. Chris assured Sam that his mother was a wonderful woman who would not hesitate to help those in need. “I didn’t know what to say to my friend when you refused to give them shelter. So I went out on the streets to save his mother’s job. When Sam went to school, I picked up trash on his mother’s behalf so that she could get her pay and feed her family. You and your father are well-known lawyers in town. You instilled in me good values and the importance of standing up for justice. Mom, I practiced what you preached!!”

Julia’s anger was melted away by her son’s words, which elicited sympathy for Sam’s mother and family. Julia realized her error and felt ashamed for failing to live up to her words and wisdom. She decided to clear things up and obtained Sam’s address from Chris. Julia drove some workers to the trailer where Sam and his family lived that evening. She instructed the men to pack their belongings and transport them to her mansion. “Mrs. Philips, my name is Julia Damon, Chris’s mother!” she said to Doris inside the trailer. “Don’t be concerned about anything from now on. You and your children are welcome to stay with us for free!”

“Mrs. Damon, I’m at a loss for words! I promised my son Sam that I would soon buy him a small house so he could have his own study space. As you can see, this trailer is extremely crowded. Thank you for your assistance. This is something I will never forget!” Doris sobbed. Julia’s eyes welled up with tears, and her heart felt lighter. She had been going through a difficult time since her divorce. Running to the aid of the helpless family and offering them comfort healed her broken heart. “My doors are always open for you and your family!” she exclaimed as she walked out of the trailer.

Doris and her children soon moved into Julia’s house. They expressed gratitude to Chris for laying the groundwork for such an unexpected miracle. “As I previously stated, my parents taught me to be fair and to fight for justice. That’s exactly what I did!! “As they walked to school, he wrapped his arms around Sam. Doris, on the other hand, no longer picked garbage for a living. She quit her job at Julia’s request and accepted a new position as a janitor in her office.