The Redemption: A Short Story
Aiden grew up without his mother. She died of cancer when he was just 10 years old. He didn’t know how to navigate this world. A very tough life awaited him, but he didn’t know it yet until he realised where his true potential lay.
Aiden was passed on to different relatives every six months. His entire childhood was nothing except moving his luggage from one place to another. His non-existent father wasn’t available for him or his three siblings. With few friends and rowdy cousins, he grew up to be a submissive man. He ached for the love of his parents, which he never got.
He decided he wouldn’t let this happen to his kids. He would always be present for them.
His father got him married to his friend’s daughter, a beautiful, smart lady. They settled in a home where his earnings were meagre, but it was enough then. Then life happened.
The family grew, as did the expenses, but the earnings didn’t. Aiden was trained in nothing. However, his resilient nature and perseverance made him try harder every time he fell.
His father didn’t help him set up the business. He was all alone, learning things on the go, but that didn’t make him any more capable of fulfilling his family’s needs. He was too naïve for this world. Once, his business partner cheated him and sold the entire business without any information. He ran away with the money without leaving any trace.
Another time, one of his relatives sold his trade secret to the competition. In either case, he didn’t confront those who were at fault.
His wife was now the only earning member of the family. The world wasn’t kind to him for this folly of his. Everyone used to blame him for this situation. He too blamed himself. But, he was helpless. He found it tough to keep suicidal thoughts at bay. His relationship with his wife was nothing but sour.
Slowly, things started getting bad.
Aiden started staying at home, waiting for an opportunity to knock at the door. It did come. Once, he tried having a food business, but with no experience in handling the workers, the venture went awry and all the debt taken to start the business went down the hole.
His kids grew up and started resenting him. They thought of him as a loser. His wife was by his side, but the love was lost between them. They saw that their mother was struggling to make ends meet and their father wasn’t even trying. Aiden didn’t expect this to happen.
Things got worse when they were late on rent. That month they just had one meal a day. They knew if they didn’t pay the landlord, soon they wouldn’t have a roof over their heads. Late school fees, unpaid bills, and rising debt were something they could hide from others but not having a place to stay, Aiden didn’t want it to happen to his kids.
His kids blamed him for everything.
One of his acquaintances invited him to work for him in a restaurant that was relatively new but getting popular. It paid less, but something was better than nothing. It would have covered the rent, at least. His kids pushed him to take the job. Initially, he didn’t find it too welcoming. His colleagues made fun of him and his unskilled hands.
But, he wanted to prove that he was not useless.
He didn’t know how to work the oven, but he learned. He didn’t know how to handle the billing machine, but he learned that as well.
His hard work didn’t go unnoticed. Soon, his responsibilities grew and so did his earnings. Meanwhile, he also realised his true passion lay in cooking and baking. He had this extraordinary sense of taste that made him one of the most sought-after people in the restaurant whenever a new dish was tested. Nothing used to go on the menu until Aiden had approved it.
His relationship with his kids started improving with his earnings.
He had found himself. He knew what he had to do now. Before he quit the job, he made sure he had enough savings and a promise from the restaurant owner that he would hire him back if the bakery didn’t work.
But, he never had to go back to working for the restaurant ever again. The bakery was a big hit. Slowly, the laurels of his work spread to nearby towns and he started getting requests for franchises. He started with one store and within a year he expanded to 15 stores in the state.
Soon, they bought a home. His kids grew up. He had now earned their love and respect. Time passed and so did he.
He died happily with the satisfaction that his kids got what he had ached for since his childhood: love, happiness, and money!
