A man who was mocked for being a bus driver’s son meets his former classmates 10 years later at their class reunion – only for them to be left aghast by how unrecognizable he looked now.
When Robert Carson arrived at the venue, he acknowledged that ten years had passed. His classmates’ physical appearances had changed dramatically, as had the manner in which they conducted themselves or pretended to conduct themselves.
At first glance, his eyes fell on their class monitor Jack Wilson. Jack had once been one of the most popular boys in high school. He had a sharp jawline and a clear-cut athletic figure, and he had almost every girl in high school swooning over him.
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Then his gaze was drawn to Linda Moseley, the most popular cheerleader and the only one who’d have ever been kind to him. But alas, they all looked so different now.
Jack had developed a potbelly. His hair was well-combed but oily, and Linda, who had once had an hourglass figure, was now nearly unrecognizable due to weight gain. It was only her innocent eyes and kind demeanor that Robert could never forget.
As he stood there looking around at his former classmates, a sudden roll call began. He noticed that some of his classmates had not shown up, which was not surprising; after all, not everyone enjoys such gatherings.
Suddenly, there was a huge howling in the hall, and Robert noticed the “popular” David Lawson and his group approaching. He’d never forget how much David and his friends had bullied him when they were younger.
“Hey guys, look,” he sneered at him every time he entered the class. “It’s that cheap dude, Robert the dumbo again. Why don’t you just go to a community school or something…This school isn’t for losers like you!” he’d mock him.
If he had been another hot-headed teen, he would have lost his cool and punched David in the face to put him in his place, but Robert wasn’t like that. He had only one goal in life at the time, and that was to get himself and his family out of the financial bottom.
Robert’s father was a regular bus driver who couldn’t afford to pay for his son’s education, so the boy was enrolled on a scholarship. He didn’t have the expensive clothes, iPhones, and cool gadgets that his classmates had, but he was meritorious and sincere, which unfortunately added fuel to the fire of mockery.
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“FOR CHRIST’S SAKE, MAN!” David once made fun of him in front of the whole class. “Are you going to stand in front of us like this? Hey, Rob, clean yourself up.” And the entire class had burst out laughing.
What happened that day was entirely David’s fault. He’d placed an egg on Robert’s seat, and as the young boy sat, the egg cracked, ruining his pants.
The other times, David and his friends had mocked him for his outfit and then for his looks and family background, saying he’d achieve nothing in life and the list just went on and on…
So when Robert saw David and his friends again at the reunion, he was wondering what they’d think of him now. Would they still insult him? Will they call him “cheap” because he wasn’t dressed in expensive suits like them? He wondered.
Soon, all the classmates proceeded to dinner, and Robert, though standing at a distance from them, could hear them talk. “I can’t tell you how difficult these days are for me, man,” David’s friend Frank said. “I mean, look at my boss! He’s such a jerk! He makes me work for so many hours for so little pay! I swear I feel like slamming his head against the wall at times!”
“Oh, man, that’s so true!” David chimed in. “I mean, I’ve been looking for work for so long, and I’m just sending emails to anyone and everyone I can, but it’s so difficult these days. It’s just like….”
“Oh, thankfully, it’s been a little easy for me,” Linda spoke up. “My husband and I own a small car rental business, and while the pandemic did cause losses, we think we can still get by. Plus, I have two beautiful children, and I love looking after them.”
Frank burst out laughing. “Hey David, how about losing a few pounds and finding yourself a sugar mama! That’s an easy way out, I mean. You can make her happy, and she can make you happy… what’s say?”
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“It’s not funny, Frank!” David said, irritated. “I have a wife and a daughter, and my main concern right now is finding work. For God’s sake, Frank, we are no longer those irresponsible teenagers! I have a family to support, and I need to get a job to do so.”
“Hey, hey, hey, man. Relax. I was only…” Frank had only begun to speak when Robert approached them and offered David a job. “Hello, David. Would you like to join me at my firm?” he asked, a warm smile on his face.
Suddenly, all heads turned to look at Robert. Unlike his former classmates, he wasn’t dressed in a tuxedo but instead wore a casual tee and blue jeans. Nobody recognized him for a brief moment, and their eyes were wide open in confusion.
Robert smiled warmly at them. “Ahh…come on, boys. I’m Robert – Robert Carson,” he said, extending his hand for a handshake.
“Robert…you….” Frank stuttered.
“Yeah, the bus driver’s son, remember? I hope you guys haven’t forgotten me.”
“Oh, no way, Robert,” Linda said as she hugged and kissed him on the cheek. “How are you these days?”
“Well, I just….”
Suddenly, David interrupted him. “So you run your own business?”
“Ya… I mean, it’s not huge or anything, but we’re a good, close-knit team. We’re primarily an IT firm that I founded. I took my job a little too seriously, so I haven’t married yet, but I do have a girlfriend. I apologize for my unappealing appearance, but I came straight from the office… Anyway, this is my business card,” he explained as he handed it to David. “If you change your mind, just give me a call. I’m going to leave now. It was great to see you all again.”
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Nobody believed him as they watched him walk away. Robert didn’t look like the type of person who would be an employee, let alone a founder and CEO, so they concluded that he simply made up everything in order to avoid being completely exposed in their eyes. They were almost sure that he works, at best, remotely. And he either lives with his parents or rents a room in a residential area.
However, they were stunned when they secretly followed him to the parking lot. Robert, the loser, got behind the wheel of an expensive car right in front of their eyes. Immediately, a lovely lady stepped down. After they kissed, Robert sat in the driver’s seat and drove away. The entire class was taken aback. But that wasn’t the end of it.
Weeks later, when David came to his firm for a job interview, Robert hired him without thinking about the past. The former bully was certainly ashamed of how he’d treated Robert in the past, but he’d learned that judging someone based on their appearance wasn’t the right thing to do.
What can we learn from this story?
- You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Robert’s classmates judged him for being a bus driver’s son, but they realized they shouldn’t have done that in the end.
- You can’t avoid karma. David labeled Robert “cheap” solely because he was the bus driver’s son. Years later, karma caught up with him, and he ended up working for Robert as an employee.
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