A woman needed a new driver and her secretary hired an old man. In no time she became too irritable and suspicious of him and fired him, but quickly realized her mistake. After a while, she made a surprising decision that others couldn’t believe.
“Good morning Mrs Danes. I’m Ferguson, your new driver. Nice to meet you,” an old man greeted Kimberly in front of her Berlin apartment.
Kimberly needed a new driver after firing the 20-year-old slacker she previously employed, but her secretary had never said anything about hiring an old man.
She smiled emotionlessly as she got into the car. She sighed in irritation as the man took a while to get to the driver’s side and start driving. Worst of all, he started talking and chatting. Kimberly just wanted to focus on the information on her iPad.
“You know, Mrs Danes. I used to work in the company you run now, but I retired a long time ago. But I knew your father. He was a great man. When my wife died I decided to get a new job because I had to travel, you know?” he rattled.
“It’s the truth. You manage to find the flaws in everyone.”
“I’m sorry. Ferguson, really? I want some peace and quiet this morning. I’ve got a lot of work,” she snapped, but the older man accepted her tone.
“Sure, ma’am,” he said cheerfully, driving on in silence, never losing his smile.
When they got to Kimberly’s office a few blocks away, she waited for him to open her door and got out. “Okay, you have to pick up my son from school at 2 p.m. and…”
“And the shopping list, and Mr Danes could use my services too. I know that, Mrs Danes. Your assistant gave me all this information,” Ferguson assured, his signature smile still in place.
“Okay, and my son might need some later, too. I don’t remember what it was… I think he has a piano or something,” Kimberly said, scratching her head.
“Secure. I’ll call your assistant just in case,” Ferguson said, and Kimberly nodded before entering her office building.
Ferguson turned out to be one of the best employees Kimberly has ever had. He helped her son Joshua with everything, and her husband Roger loved him too. He picked up her groceries perfectly and even walked her dogs so Joshua could spend a few more minutes practicing the piano.
One day, however, Kimberly decided he had crossed the line. He’d just picked Kimberly up after work when he started talking about her not spending enough time at home. He said that he always regrets working too much and that no one should be a slave to his work. Kimberly didn’t like the suggestion.
After a few days she got tired of him. When he opened her door to her office one morning, she looked him straight in the eye and sneered. “You’re fired, old geezer. I don’t need an old man to tell me how to live my life or that of my family,” she said scornfully and walked away.
She didn’t see the hurt expression on the older man’s face. When she reached her office, she told her assistant to hire someone immediately.
Unfortunately, the new employee was even worse. Another irresponsible 20-year-old who spent more time on his phone than actually doing the job he was paid to do. Still, Kimberly was determined to get used to him.
However, two nights later, she had dinner with her family and Joshua complained. “Where did Ferguson go? Has he resigned? i liked him he was so cool He had some great stories. The new driver tried to flirt with the girls at school. It was so embarrassing.”
“I fired Ferguson. He was too slow for me. I’ll talk to the new guy, honey. This is totally inappropriate,” Kimberly sighed. “I can’t believe you can’t find hardworking people these days.”
“Because you fire those who work hard,” Roger reminded her, giving her a sideways glance.
“Don’t start with me,” Kimberly retorted, getting angry.
“It’s the truth. You manage to find the flaws in everyone and Joshua is right. Ferguson was perfect. Maybe a little slow. But does he make the groceries right? I told this new guy Joshua is allergic to peanuts and what is he buying? Peanut oil. In earnest. We should get Ferguson back,” Roger shook his head.
Kimberly took a deep breath because she knew they were right. She’d fired Ferguson for no real reason, and now she regrets it. She texted her assistant to let go of the new guy immediately and told her to get in touch with Ferguson as soon as possible.
The next morning she drove to the office herself and decided to stop at a coffee shop for the first time in a long time. To her utter shock, Ferguson was there, sipping a cup of hot coffee.
“Mrs. Danes, hello!” the older man greeted, and Kimberly had the sense to look embarrassed.
“Ferguson, good morning. Did my assistant call you?” she asked as she walked over to his table.
“Yes she has. But only this morning. I didn’t have time to pick you up. So I planned on being out of your office,” the old man smiled, sipping his cup.
“Thanks,” Kimberly replied, tilting her head and grinning, “can I buy you something to eat?”
Ferguson was surprised by her words but nodded. Kimberly ordered two muffins and a coffee for herself and sat down with Ferguson. They talked longer than she expected.
She even laughed once, and was surprised to find that she hadn’t done so in a while. “You know you’re right about the work. I was too busy to spend time with my son,” Kimberly mentioned during their conversation.
“What are you working on? Maybe I can help,” Ferguson offered, and she recalled that he had apparently worked for her late father. She had to take over the company after his death, which had been hell.
“Sure,” she said, taking out her tablet.
Ferguson had some fantastic advice for her and before she knew it she was delegating certain things to him and asking her assistant to give him a desk with a computer. Within a week, she named him head of her procurement department, shocking many of her executives, but Kimberly didn’t care.
It was a tough job, but Kimberly didn’t trust anyone else at first. Ferguson had been so great meeting suppliers that she knew he was the right person for the job. He also took other jobs so she could spend more time at home. It was perfect.
She managed to go on a date with her husband – the first in many years – and attend Joshua’s piano recital at school, which would have been impossible just a few days ago.
She needed to hire another driver, so Ferguson recommended a friend who was just as efficient. With the new help, Kimberly felt like she could finally breathe. She also realized how badly she had started treating people in the office like she was Miranda Priestly, so she prepared some Christmas presents for everyone to show her gratitude.
Ferguson worked until it was time to retire, but Kimberly made sure he was taken care of because her whole family loved him.
After that, Kimberly stopped judging anyone by their age. Your company no longer just hired young talent, but gave more experienced employees the same opportunities. It was her way of honoring the man who had helped her so much without expecting anything in return.
What can we learn from this story?
Age is only a number. Kimberly had wrongly assumed that Ferguson was incompetent because he was old, but he proved more efficient than the many young drivers she hired.
There should always be a balance between work and private life. Ferguson tried to tell Kimberly that being home with her family was more important than her job, but she didn’t listen at first. Then she realized she wasn’t even laughing anymore, so she made a change.
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