Working Hard

He says, “Son, I’m going to teach you how to be a man. I’m going to tell you a story.”
I said, “What’s that?”
He says, “My dad didn’t teach me a lot about math, politics, or stuff like that. He was a simple man, but he taught me about hard work, character, and keeping your word.”
He continues, “One day, my father wakes up and decides he wants to teach me about hard work. I was 10 years old. He says, ‘Son, by the end of the day today, you’ve got to make $5.’
I said, ‘Dad, I’m only 10 years old.’
He repeats, ‘Before the end of the day, you’ve got to make $5.’
Then he goes to work. I go to my mom and say, ‘Mom, Dad wants me to go on the streets at 10 years old and make $5.’
Mom says, ‘Don’t worry about it. Here’s $5. Just tell your dad you made it.’
That night, Dad comes home and asks, ‘Hey, son, did you make your $5?’
I say, ‘Yes, I did.’ I hand him the $5, and he throws it into the fireplace and burns it.
I run to my mom, upset, and Mom comes in and yells at him, ‘What is wrong with you?’
Dad says, ‘The reason why you got more upset than him is because you paid him the $5.’
The next morning, Dad wakes me up and says, ‘Son, you’ve got to make $5 today, and don’t go to your mom.’
Then he goes to work. This time, I go to Mom again and ask, ‘Mom, can you give me $5?’
Mom says, ‘Hell no! He’s going to burn it. I’m not giving it to you.’
So, I decide to beg. That’s phase two. I go outside and start asking people—‘Hey, Uncle,’ ‘Hey, Aunt,’ ‘Hey, neighbor.’ I beg for $5.
The next day, Dad comes home and asks, ‘Son, did you make $5 today?’
I say, ‘Yes, I made $5.’ I show him the money, dollar by dollar, and he throws it into the fireplace. This time, I start crying. But there’s no reaction from my mom.
Dad says, ‘I know you didn’t give him $5, but I also know he didn’t earn that $5. Listen to me, kid. You’re going to make your $5 tomorrow.’
The next day, Dad goes to work. I go out knocking on doors, asking, ‘I’m begging you, give me a job. Anything you want—I’ll do it. I need to make money.’
Finally, by the end of the day, one man says, ‘For every sandbag you move from here to here, I’ll give you a penny.’
So, this 10-year-old kid starts moving sandbags, one after another, all day. By 10 PM, I come home exhausted.
Dad comes up to me and asks, ‘Did you make your $5 today?’
I say, ‘No, but I made $1.80.’
Dad takes the money and throws it into the fireplace. This time, I reach into the flames to grab it.
Dad hugs me and says, ‘Son, I know for a fact that you earned this money today. That’s why you’re like this—emotional—because you earned it, and it’s painful.
You became a man today.’”