Jeff had lived alone for years after his daughter moved out to study in a different state. One day, he was surprised to hear her weak voice calling out for help outside his door.
Since Jeff Wright’s daughter, Amanda, moved to a town six hours away by bus to study, he lived alone, losing his wife when Amanda was just a baby. She ended up staying in that town until she graduated, as she claimed to have found good work.
Jeff would often feel lonely, but he would try his best to keep himself preoccupied with working passionately in the small diner he worked at. When he wasn’t cooking up delicious meals for customers, he was on hikes and nature trips around the city.
The doting dad would often try to contact Amanda, but she would limit their calls to less than a minute, claiming she was busy. However, one day, Jeff was surprised to hear a faint voice calling out for help outside his door while he was having his afternoon nap. “Dad, help me,” the voice of a woman said.
Jeff, still half-asleep, wondered if he was dreaming. However, once he heard the voice call out for him again, he realized it was Amanda. He hurriedly walked towards the door and saw his darling daughter looking frail and tired.
“Amanda, sweetheart. What happened to you?” he said, assisting her as she walked inside the door.
“Dad, I don’t know what to do anymore. I’m broke and have no place else to go,” she said as Jeff sat her down on the sofa.
“I tried to check on you many times, but you always told me you were busy. I thought you were simply doing well at work, which is why I never tried to get more specific answers from you,” Jeff explained.
“I know, dad. I’m sorry for pushing you away. The truth is, I got into an unhealthy relationship with a man I worked with. He told me we didn’t need you and that you would just try to ask for money as you were getting old. It turns out he was the one trying to use me for money,” Amanda cried.
“He would use my savings to buy alcohol, and when his vices started to take a toll on him, I got scared and ran away from home with just my handbag. I only had $20 in my wallet, so I decided to take a bus to get here right away. I’m sorry, dad. I should have left him a long time ago.” She continued to sob.
“I am glad you got away from him. Don’t worry about what you have lost. What’s important is that you are safe and that you are home now,” Jeff said, assuring her by rubbing her back.
“I’m so unhappy with how my life turned out, dad. I don’t know how to continue to live and get back on my feet. It’s just too difficult to even think about,” Amanda sighed.
“Come on. Let me show you something,” Jeff said, taking her to the kitchen.
As she sat on the kitchen counter, Jeff filled three pots with water and brought each to a boil. In one pot, he put potatoes. In another pot, he added eggs. In the third pot, he mixed ground coffee beans.
Twenty minutes later, he turned off the burners. He took the items out of the pots and put them in separate bowls. “Now, sweetheart. What do you see?” he asked, turning to face his daughter.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
“Potatoes, eggs, and coffee,” Amanda shrugged. “What is this, dad?” she asked.
“Look closely. Touch the potatoes,” he ordered. Amanda did, and they were soft from being boiled.
“Now get an egg and crack its shell,” he ordered next. Amanda did as her father said, removing the shell. She saw a hard-boiled egg.
Finally, Jeff asked Amanda to sip coffee from the cup. The delicious taste and rich aroma brought a smile to her face.
“Dad, what are you trying to say?” she asked.
“You see, Amanda. The potatoes, the eggs, and the coffee beans all faced the same problem: boiling water. However, each of them reacted differently, didn’t they?” he asked.
Amanda nodded, slowly understanding what her father was trying to tell her.
“The potatoes were tough, strong, and hard. However, when faced with the problem, they became soft and weak. While eggs are fragile and could easily break, facing the problem made it hard and strong. Meanwhile, the coffee beans are unique. After being exposed to the problem, it turned it into something entirely new,” he explained.
“Now, sweetheart,” he started. “When problems come knocking at your door, who are you? Are you the potato, the egg, or the coffee bean?” Jeff asked with a smile on his face.
Hearing that, Amanda couldn’t help but smile as well. She realized she had been focusing her time on the wrong people when her biggest supporter had always been her father.
“I’m the coffee bean, dad,” she proudly said.
At that moment, Amanda decided to change her life for the better. She moved back to her dad’s town and started fresh. Having majored in Industrial Design, she decided to put up her own gallery while working part-time at her dad’s diner to sustain the gallery’s early days.
In the end, Amanda became a successful and well-known local designer. Everyone wanted an art piece made by her, and her clients came from all over the country.
What can we learn from this story?
- Our parents only want what’s best for us. Amanda neglected her father since moving to a different town, only to realize he was the one person who truly supported her through thick and thin.
- Tough times don’t last; tough people do. Amanda was feeling hopeless after leaving her boyfriend. She didn’t know how to begin again until her father made her realize that problems don’t last as long as we think they do, depending on how we react to these situations.
This story is inspired by our reader’s story and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only.
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