’You’re Fired, Old Geezer!’ Boss Says to New Driver, Makes Him Head of Department in a Week — Story of the Day

A woman needed a new driver, and her secretary hired an old man. In no time, she was too irritated and suspicious of him she fired him, only to realize her mistake quickly. After a while, she made a surprising decision that others couldn’t believe.

“Good morning, Mrs. Danes. I’m Ferguson, your new driver. It’s nice to meet you,” an old man greeted Kimberly outside her New York apartment.

Kimberly had needed a new driver after firing the 20-year-old slacker she previously employed, but her secretary never said anything about hiring an old man.

She smiled without emotion as got into the car. She sighed, irritated when it took the man a while to get to the driver’s side and start going. Worst of all, he started talking and making chitchat. Kimberly only wanted to concentrate on the information on her iPad.

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“You know, Mrs. Danes. I once worked at the company you now run, but I retired a long time ago. I knew your father, though. He was a great man. I decided to find a new job when my wife died because I needed to be on the go, you know?” he rattled.

“It’s the truth. You manage to find the flaws in everybody.”

“I’m sorry. Ferguson, is it? I want some peace and quiet this morning. I have a ton of work,” she snapped, but the older man took her tone in stride.

“Sure thing, ma’am,” he said cheerfully and drove in silence, not 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. “Ok, you have to pick up my son at school at 2 p.m., and—”

“And the grocery list, and Mr. Danes might need my services, too. I know that, Mrs. Danes. Your assistant gave me all that info,” Ferguson assured, his signature smile still in place.

“Ok, and my son might also need something later. I don’t remember what it was… I think he has piano or something,” Kimberly said, scratching her head.

“Sure thing. I’ll call your assistant just in case,” Ferguson said and Kimberly nodded before walking into her office building.

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Ferguson turned out to be one of the best employees Kimberly ever had. He helped her son, Joshua, with everything, and her husband, Roger, loved him too. He picked up their groceries perfectly and even walked their dogs so that Joshua could spend a few more minutes practicing his piano.

However, one day, Kimberly decided he had crossed the line. He had just picked up Kimberly after work when he started talking about not spending enough time at home. He said that he always regretted working too much and that no one should be a slave to their job. Kimberly didn’t like the implication.

After a few days, she was tired of him. When he opened her door in front of her office one morning, she looked him straight in the eye and sneered. “You’re fired, old geezer. I don’t need any old man telling me how I should run my life or my family’s,” she said disdainfully and walked off.

She didn’t see the look of hurt on the older man’s face. When she reached her office, she told her assistant to hire someone new immediately.

Unfortunately, the new hire was even worse. Another irresponsible 20-year-old who spent more time on his phone than actually doing the work he was paid for. Still, Kimberly was determined to get used to him.

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However, two nights later, she was having dinner with her family, and Joshua complained. “Where did Ferguson go? Did he quit? 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. That’s completely inappropriate,” Kimberly sighed. “I can’t believe you can’t find hard-working people these days.”

“That’s because you fire those that work hard,” Roger reminded her, giving her a side-eye look.

“Don’t start with me,” Kimberly replied, getting angry.

“It’s the truth. You manage to find the flaws in everybody, and Joshua is right. Ferguson was perfect. Maybe a little slow. But he gets the groceries right. I told this new guy Joshua is allergic to peanuts and what does he buy? Peanut oil. Seriously. We should get Ferguson back.” Roger shook his head.

Kimberly breathed deeply because she knew they were right. She had fired Ferguson without real reason, and now, she regretted it. She texted her assistant to let go of the new guy immediately and told her to contact Ferguson as soon as possible.

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The next morning, she drove herself to the office, and she decided to stop at a coffee shop for the first time in a while. To her complete shock, Ferguson was there, drinking a cup of hot joe.

“Mrs. Danes, hello there!” the older man greeted, and Kimberly had the good sense to look ashamed.

“Ferguson, good morning. Did my assistant call you?” she asked as she walked to his table.

“Yes, she did. But only this morning. I didn’t have time to pick you up. So I was planning on being outside your office.” The old man smiled and sipped his cup.

“Thank you,” 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 chatted for longer than she expected.

At one point, she even laughed and was surprised to realize she had not done that in a while. “You know you’re right about work. I’ve been too sucked in to spend time with my son,” Kimberly mentioned during their conversation.

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“What are you working on? Maybe I can help,” Ferguson offered, and she remembered he had apparently worked for her late father. She had to take over the company after his passing, which had been hell.

“Sure,” she said and took 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 assign him a desk with a computer. Within a week, she named him Head of their Procurement Department, which shocked many of her executives, but Kimberly didn’t care.

It was a hard job, but Kimberly didn’t trust anyone else on it for now. Ferguson had been so great during meetings with suppliers that she knew he was the right person for the job. He also took on 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’ve been impossible only a few days ago.

She had to hire another driver, so Ferguson recommended a friend, and he was just as efficient. Thanks to the new help, Kimberly felt like she could finally breathe. She also realized how badly she had started treating people in the office, as if she were Miranda Priestly, so she prepared some Christmas bonuses for everyone to express her gratitude.

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Ferguson worked until it was time to retire again, but Kimberly made sure he was cared for because her entire family loved him.

After that, Kimberly never judged anyone on their age. Her company stopped hiring just young talent and gave equal opportunities to more experienced people. 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 just a number. Kimberly was wrong to assume Ferguson was incompetent because he was advanced in age, but he proved to be more efficient than the many young drivers she hired.
• There should always be a balance between one’s work and personal life. Ferguson tried to tell Kimberly that being at home with her family was more important than her job, but she didn’t listen at first. Then she realized she never even laughed anymore, so she made a change.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a manager who fired an old janitor, but he became her boss the next day.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.