Off The Record
A Lawyer Hears His Son Make Fun Of A Boy Whose Father Packs Groceries At A Store
After hearing his son make fun of a youngster whose father worked as a supermarket packer, a wealthy lawyer resolves to give him a life-changing lesson.
The spoilt boy had no idea that he would have to spend the entire summer in the shoes of the less fortunate child, trading places with him.
That night, rich lawyer Mr. Frazer and his fifteen-year-old son, Kevin, were enjoying themselves while shopping. Everything was good until Kevin began persistently pleading with his father to allow him to travel to Ibiza with the other lads, even after his father had refused.
“That’s not fair, dad. You always say no to everything. I’m tired of your stupid rules,” Kevin said at his father as they walked up to the register.
“You must understand that you’re still young, and such trips without adults could be dangerous. Plus, it’s a lot of money. And my answer is still no.”
The youngster began rolling his eyes because he was so disappointed. “Yeah, whatever. You know what? You’re so boring, dad…and you don’t want me to have any fun.”
“Kevin, watch your tone, young man. We’re in a store, and you’re making a scene.”
Embarrassed, Kevin sighed and rushed to the register. He saw a youngster his age standing next to the cashier, laughing, along with his father, who worked as a grocery packer at the store, as they got closer to the counter.
Added to his already bad mood, this infuriated Kevin. He became enraged and charged at them, assuming they were laughing at him.
Kevin barked, his voice roiling with malice, “Hey, what you two laughin’ at, huh? Do I look funny to you?”
“If you have a little more brains to keep your mouths shut, you’ll find a better job, losers.”
The boy’s outburst surprised store packer Frank and his son Johnny, who looked at each other in confusion.
Mr. Frazer glared at his son and said, “Kevin, what are you doing?” “Apologize to them. This is not how you talk to people.”
“Oh, come on, dad. Cut it. Stop giving me a sermon in front of these losers…Let’s go home.”
Mr. Frazer pursed his lips and said, “I…I’m sorry, gentlemen,” scarcely raising his voice above a whisper.
“It’s okay, sir. He’s just a small boy.”
“Small boy? He’s not a small boy. He’s 15. He can’t get away with insulting people like that. It’s all my mistake. I’ve spoiled him too much, especially after his mother died. I should’ve taught him some manners. It’s getting out of hand now…I think it’s high time I show him his place. What do you think?”
The father of Johnny shook his head. “I’m not sure about that, sir. And…it’s not my place to say anything.”
Mr. Frazer said nervously, “I know…I know…” “You see, I always gave my son everything he wanted. I never said no to anything but just this time…For once, I refused him, and this brat is enraged.”
“I think you should show how clever you are without my money, Kevin! Why don’t you set an example for these people? Maybe then they might follow in your footsteps and find a better job…right, son?” Mr. Frazer glared and turned to Kevin.
“What…I didn’t get you. What do you mean, dad?”
At that, Mr. Frazer turned to face the packer. “Could you please tell me how your son intends to spend his summer holidays?”
“We always send him to work on our family farm, sir…My brother takes care of it, and I send my son every summer there to help him.”
Mr. Frazer grinned broadly and his eyes brightened.
“N-No, no, no…Dad? What are you doing? Why are you asking him all that?”
Mr. Frazer abruptly asked Kevin, “Do you mind if my son replaces your son at this farm work this summer?”
“Your son Johnny will come home with me and replace my son in his traditional summer occupation by doing NOTHING! And my son will stay with your brother on the farm and WORK. Deal?”
He laughed, “What? Are you serious, sir?” said the packer. “Our sons switching places? It would be funny…But will it work?”
“Dad…OMG…What? No…You can’t be serious…No…I’m not going anywhere.”
Kevin’s mouth dropped open in disbelief as both fathers clasped hands and exchanged phone numbers and addresses while Mr. Frazer smiled maliciously.
“In two days, my son will be at your brother’s farm, and your son Johnny will be with me.”
Kevin cried, begged, and got into arguments. But nothing made his father change his mind, and if he wanted his father to aid him in any way, he had to take Johnny’s place. So Kevin showed up at the farm in the local town on a Friday morning.
As he got out of his car, Kevin covered his nose with a handkerchief and said, “Ugh, what is that awful smell?” Kevin wrinkled his nose in distaste at the smell of rotting vegetables mixed with horse and cow excrement.
“I can’t stand it. It stinks. Can’t you do something about it?”
Uncle Billy said, “Welcome to country life, buddy!” with a laugh. “You’ll get used to it!”
Kevin rolled his eyes and said, “Country life bull—” “Fine, where is my room? I need to take a shower.”
“This is your room…but it’s not all yours. You have to share it with your roommate, Tony.”
“Tony? Who is Tony now?”
“From today on, he will serve as your assistant,” Billy announced, gesturing out the window. The child looked around in shock to see an older guy, maybe in his seventies, tilling the earth and swiping at the sweat with his muddy hands.
Feeling dissatisfied, Kevin grumbled to himself and started his day. The voice said, “Get up, blond boy. We ain’t got no time to sleep during work. And I want you to change into these work clothes…Here.” as he was kicking back on the bed after taking a shower.
“My name is Kevin. Not a blond boy. And I don’t want to dress in these awful, uncomfortable rags.”
“Well, whatever. Read this and get going. Quickly. Transfer it,” Tony pushed Kevin’s task list aside.
“Muck the stables? Bathe the pigs? Pick the dung? What the hell? This was not what I was signed up for. They said farm work. I thought it was cultivation. Cropping. Pruning. That’s what they do in farms.”
Tony laughed and thrust a poo scooper into Kevin’s hands, saying, “Ha ha ha! Farming is not gardening in ya backyard, champ. Here, now move it. I’ll see ya at the stable…And watch ya step, blond boy!”
Entering the stable, Kevin started swatting the flies and pirate bugs swarming around his head, saying, “These darn flies…leave me alone…go…ewww…shoo.” However, they persisted in returning for more.
Stepping onto a brand-new clump of horse poo, Kevin grimaced, saying, “Oh no, no, no! This can’t be happening. My new shoes.”
“Ugh, this is so disgusting than I thought. How can anyone work here? I’m not doing this.”
Kevin was greeted by a boisterous chorus of neighs as he strode into the stables. The noise startled the boy, and Tony caught him running outside in his poop-stained sneakers.
“Where do ya think ya goin’, champ? Did ya clean the stable?”
“No…I am feeling sick. I can’t do it today. I’m not used to….” Kevin vomited.
“Hmmm…well, in that case, I have another task for ya.”
Tony took Kevin to the barn, where he was met by mooing cows and the aroma of fresh hay and manure, before Kevin could sigh with relief and think of another reason.
“Oh great, now what?”
Tony pushed a bucket into Kevin’s hands and exclaimed, “Milk that cow!” “And hurry up, kid. The more ya delay, the more deductions from your pay…Every penny counts. So move it, will ya?”
Kevin walked, trembling up to the cow with a bucket in hand. He had never even approached a cow, much less milked one. And as Tony braved close to a large, plump Brown Swiss cow gorging on hay, his sole hope came from his stringent instructions on how to milk a cow.
In order not to scare the cow, he slyly slipped behind it. Then Kevin knelt down and put the pail beneath its udder, reaching out to grab one of the teats. However, the cow kicked the bucket and sent it flying across the barn just as he was starting to milk it.
“Jeez! That was close,” the cow’s sudden rage startled Kevin, who scrambled over the hay on all fours.
Regaining his balance, he set down the bucket and, with a worried glance around to make sure no one was observing his struggles, grabbed for the udder once more.
The cow appeared to cooperate this time, and Kevin let out a big sigh. To get there quickly, he started milking and pulled harder. To his surprise, though, the cow kicked its leg out of nowhere, sending the bucket flying and causing the milk to pour everywhere.
Kevin screamed, “Hey, stop!” and leaped back to escape the chaos. He felt a sudden wetness seeping through his hoodie as he sat there attempting to regain his breath. The image of the cow lifting its tail and pissing all over him made him look up, his eyes bulging with dread.
As Tony happened to be nearby and witnessed everything, he erupted into laughing, saying, “Ha ha ha! Did Bessie give ya a good shower, blond boy? Ha ha ha!”
“Stop laughin’…This is not what I came here for. They said farm work. I thought it would be on the fields. Not with these darn animals…and dung and…urine. Gosh…I hate my life here. I want to go home.”
Soaked in milk, manure, and cow pee, Kevin angrily stomped back to the farmhouse while Tony rocked with laughter.
Billy laughed, “Looks like you had a rough time with Bessie, eh?” But as Kevin slammed the bathroom door behind him, he was so furious and enraged.
Kevin was not used to doing things like cleaning the chicken coop and carrying tufts of hay to the shed later that day.
He sat down at the kitchen table of the farm, stuffed with supper, his stomach growling. But when he glanced down at the food in front of him, his heart fell.
He wrinkled his forehead and gasped, “Cornbread, wheat porridge, bacon, and boiled vegetables? You eat this for dinner?” The fine dining experience he was accustomed to at home was not the same as this.
“We serve pot roast and bread on weekends. All the other days, it’s just simple healthy food,” Billy said.
Meanwhile, the farmer and his family ate generously, smiling and conversing, but Kevin moaned and swallowed hard, horrified at every taste of the dish.
However, the boy was unable to force himself to swallow another bite. With a still growling tummy, he pushed his plate away and marched to his room to sleep.
After a demanding workday, Kevin tried to fall asleep as he laid in bed. But the constant buzzing of mosquitoes irritated him. In a fit of rage, he pulled the blankets up over his head and tossed and twisted until it was all too much to handle.
Tony’s deep, rumbling snores jolted Kevin out of his sleep.
He said, “Shut up…Can you shut up and let me sleep? Hey…cut it,” but Tony had already fallen asleep.
Kevin was really irritated. After just one day at the farm, he already felt as like he was near his breaking point.
“I cannot spend an entire summer here. I need to get out,” he said in tears.
Kevin carefully avoided waking his sleeping roommate as he crept out of bed and started packing his belongings into his rucksack in preparation for his getaway.
The boy quietly tiptoed out of the farmhouse at first light and headed for the highway. A truck pulled up in the distance, and as he waited nervously by the side of the road, a wave of liberation passed over him.
Kevin hitched a ride back to the city while practicing his apologies to his father. “I’m sorry dad…No. Dad, please forgive me, I won’t…” Even though he was thrilled the entire way home, his heart stopped as he got to his house.
“DAD?” he exclaimed, lowering his hands.
Johnny was playing basketball with his father. They were giggling, exchanging high fives, and tossing the ball back and forth.
Kevin would constantly nag his dad to play soccer on the weekends because he so desperately wanted his attention. However, Mr. Frazer was constantly preoccupied at work and never had the time. However, everything felt so different now.
Standing there, fuming with rage, was Kevin. He thought his father had betrayed the affection and attention he so desperately needed. Kevin turned around and left as Johnny scored another basket and let out a big cheer.
Billy went to the child after he saw him dragging his luggage across the fields. “Kevin, hey, where have you been all day? I was looking for you. Are you okay, buddy?” Billy asked. “Ummm…we’ll talk later. Now wash up and see you at dinner.”
Kevin saw the laughter and jokes among the family members as he sat down to eat. He went back to his room and heard Tony dozing again after eating his supper in silence and without complaining till he was left with only a few crumb. Although Kevin was discouraged, there was little he could do.
Tony and Billy were thrown for a complete looper the following morning when they discovered Kevin feeding and cleaning the horses in the stable.
“That’s weird…ya up so early, blond boy?”
“Yeah…coz I don’t want to get shouted at for nothing. My name is Kevin. Not blond boy.”
Kevin was obviously annoyed. The smell of rotting hay and horse excrement repulsed him. All he could see when he looked was manure, animals, and birds. However, he understood that he had to adjust to it now and began performing his job as well as possible.
He did all the things he had never done before, like bathe the horses and cows, feed the pigs, mow the grass, and clean the chicken coop. He even mastered the art of milking a cow without taking a kick.
The boy loathed farm life even though he adjusted to his new environment. He so badly wanted to go back to his city apartment and resume his typical, carefree life.
However, Kevin’s father’s affection for Johnny was the only thing that troubled him whenever he considered returning home. One Friday night, he was compelled to stay on the farm no matter what, and someone knocked on his door.
“Oh no, I hope it isn’t that goddamn Tony again. I’m so tired, and he wants me to do more chores?” Kevin was frantic.
He was shocked to discover a young girl standing there when he opened the door.
“Hey, I’m Samantha—Johnny’s cousin. I came home for the holidays, and dad told me we had a guest. Wanna come for a walk?”
Kevin reddened, “Hey…Hi, nice to meet you.” “Shh-sure…”
“So, I was wondering if you would like to come with me to the barn dance tonight?”
“Me? To the barn dance?”
“Yeah! I heard you’re from the city and I’m sure you must like to dance. I thought it would be fun if we went together.”
“That sounds great…yeah…I would love to go with you.”
There were happy people of all ages around Kevin and Samantha as they danced the night away. They danced, joked, and enjoyed each other’s company as the night went on. Occasionally, they would stop to talk.
Kevin went camping in the mountains with Samantha and a few other teenagers and adults the following day. Kevin was content from the inside out for the first time in days, and he gradually began to fall in love with country living.
“Wow, these mountains…they are incredible!” he exclaimed.
“You like ’em? I come here every year with my dad and friends. It’s so beautiful in the fall. And in winter, it looks like white heaven.”
Billy cut in, “Hey, who wants to go on a hike?”
Kevin couldn’t help but feel excited as they hiked. His father was constantly working, so he had never gone camping with his family before. And things were never the same after Kevin’s mother passed away five years ago.
Kevin came back tired but happy. “Did ya like the trip, blond boy? I bet ya do! Now go to sleep coz we have hell lotta work tomorrow, champ,” Tony replied.
“Well, yeah…kind of…you know. Back in the city, ’twas just skyscrapers and traffic…and people and parties. I thought that was life. But ova here…it’s…it’s different. I think I kinda love this place now.”
Kevin came to appreciate the simplicity and hard labor that brought comfort as he settled into the quiet country life. He quit complaining and gave his all to his work each and every day. Two weeks later, though, Kevin received an unexpected visitor in the middle of his happiness.
He saw Johnny approaching as he was enjoying the country peace and warmth from his seat on the porch.
Kevin exclaimed, “Johnny? Wha-what are you doin’ here?” upon seeing the packer’s kid on the property.
“I couldn’t do it anymore, man. I miss my old life. Let’s switch back…you go to your home, and I stay on the farm with my uncle. That’s it. I’m not going back there again,” Johnny begged.
Having spent his early years growing up on a farm, Johnny had always imagined living a comfortable and opulent life. He was so overjoyed when his dad and Kevin’s dad agreed to switch places.
In his heart, Johnny was thrilled to have the privileges and affluent upbringing of Kevin for a short moment. However, within just two weeks of living in Kevin’s shoes, Johnny was itching to go home and resume his rural lifestyle.
“It’s so boring in your house, pal. I can’t sit alone in your room anymore. It has got the most expensive toys, computer, and console. But it was fun only during the first week. I feel so lonely there….”
“And you know what? I spent time only once with your father while playing basketball. All the other times, he was too busy to even look at me.”
When Kevin’s father visited the farm later that day to check on him, he was somewhat taken aback to discover that the youngster had refused to accompany him home.
“I like it here, dad…Besides, I want to spend the holidays with my friends here.”
After exchanging winks, Mr. Frazer and Johnny’s uncle parted ways, leaving the youngsters alone.
For the remainder of the summer, Kevin and Johnny went on adventures through the countryside. They labored on the farm and relished the fruits of their labor-intensive day. In the end, Kevin started to see the joy and beauty in the modest existence he had previously detested. He came to see how important it is to respect someone for who they are rather than for their appearance or actions.
What lessons may we draw from this tale?
Never make snap decisions without giving a problem your complete attention. Hasty judgments might result in misunderstandings and lost opportunities. For example, Kevin was adamant about going back to his city home since he believed that wealth was everything. But when he fell in love with country living, he eventually realized he was mistaken.
Never denigrate someone because of their rank or appearance. You may not realize it, but family love and attention are far more valuable than money. In this tale, Kevin, a wealthy young man, makes fun of Johnny and his dad because he thinks they made fun of him at the store. He mocked their lack of wealth by calling them derogatory names. After a series of events, Kevin realized that the love and care he received from his family while staying at Johnny’s house were more important than money.
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