The Guest From God

A short story

Photo by Juan Rojas on Unsplash

When will companies realize that employees make them what they are? It doesn’t matter how good a product or service may be, they’d mean nothing if there’s no one to produce or oversee them, respectively.-Henery X

The Guest From God

Henery X, 2024 ©

Eric Washington was standing before the picture window of his posh hotel room in Miami Beach, Florida. The well dressed, fifty-two-year-old African American glanced at his Rolex Presidential, which displayed 11:00 am. He turned from the window, walked over to the bed and picked up a metal briefcase, grabbed his key-card, and walked towards the door of the room. When he got to the door, he opened it and stepped out into the hallway. He walked towards the elevators. He made it to the lobby and searched for anyone associated with housekeeping.

“Greetings,” Eric said. He was speaking to a lovely young Latina woman, who was walking towards him.

“Hello, sir,” the young woman said. She smiled afterwards.

“How many co-workers do you have in housekeeping?”

“There’s sixty of us. May I ask why you want to know?”

“I prefer to tell you with your co-workers. Where are they?”

“There in the break room. Follow me. Are we in trouble?”

Eric chuckled. “Not at all. What’s your name?”

“Melissa.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Melissa. My name is Eric.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Eric.”

They arrived at the break room filled with Hispanic American men and women. Most of them were engaged in various conversations, that is until Melissa appeared with Eric. The space became completely silent, and all eyes were on the face of the smiling stranger.

“Greetings, everyone. My name is Eric Washington. I’d like to speak to you all about something I believe you’ll all find worthy of your time and attention. Thirty-five years ago, in my senior year of college, I worked as a housekeeper at a high end hotel. So, I know firsthand what you experience daily. Though that was then and this is now, the results are still the same. The effort outweighs the paycheck offered for it. And because of that, I want to give each one of you a five hundred dollar tip for your time and service.”

Everyone present displayed some form of excitement.

“But that’s not the best part of me being here right now. Besides the five hundred dollars, I also want to offer you all an employment opportunity. I’m the business manager of a company that oversees industrial laundry services in various states. We cater mostly to high end hotels such as this one. In fact, this location is amongst our clients. We’re always in search of dependable people, and we pay well for dependability.”

Everyone present couldn’t contain their excitement.

Eric placed his briefcase on a table and opened it. Inside were stacks of money, with each stack representing five hundred dollars. Besides the money, there were application forms.

“Everyone, please come up here and get your tip. And if you’re interested in the employment opportunity, I have an application for you.”

Everyone rose to their feet and walked towards Eric. Mostly everyone who took the money also took an application as well. Afterwards, everyone retook their seats.

“To all those who took an application, you’re already hired. The application is simply a formality. Once you fill it out, and have given your current employer your two weeks’ notice, take it to one of our five locations here. When your two-week obligation is complete, you’ll become a valued member of our team.”

“Why are you doing this, Eric?” A heavy-set man said. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m very grateful. But this kind of generosity isn’t common.”

“Unfortunately, you’re right — what’s your name, sir?”

“Miguel.”

“Unfortunately, Miguel, you’re right. Generosity usually takes a backseat to greed. But a woman who could have been the poster child for generosity raised me. She taught me and my siblings to do right by others by her own example. She never hesitated to help others, and not just from a financial standpoint. She was very generous with her time and attention as well. She’d always impart this wisdom: ‘when you’re blessed, you’re obligated to be a blessing.’

Everyone present rose to their feet and applauded.

After Eric’s revelation, everyone who had refused the application went back and secured one. He had made an impression that his mother would have been proud of.

Melissa walked up to Eric. “God bless you, Eric.”

Eric smiled. “He already has, Melissa. And this is why I’m able to be a blessing to others.”

The End.

Let’s begin today to make generosity a trend worthy of following.-Henery X

Remember. I’m not here to convince you to believe. I’m here to offer you something else to consider.