The Family

Juan was driving home from The Reef in Los Angeles where he worked. He made this 30 minute commute every day, but Juan had no clue that this day would be different. He awoke that morning excited to go to work. Today was the day that he was getting a raise. He was a dishwasher at The Reef, a world famous restaurant in Los Angeles. When Juan was little he grew up in California City. He had always wanted to be an accountant in Los Angeles, but when that didn’t work out, he got a job at The Reef. On his way home, he received a text message with a link to a website from his father, Luis. He ignored it. Juan and Luis did not get along great. When Juan’s mom died, his whole family quit talking to each other. A car drove out in front of him and he had to slam on his brakes to avoid crashing into the vehicle. “Watch where you're going!” Juan shouted at the careless driver. When Juan finally arrived home, he was delayed because of the heavy rush hour traffic, he got another text message from his father. Having had a stressful and busy day at The Reef, getting promoted ment getting more work, he was frustrated and threw his phone at the floor. Immediately he regretted it. His phone hit the ground with such force that it cracked right in half. But there was one thing showing on the shattered and broken screen. The text message from his father. Juan sat on his couch, sobbing. He read the message that his dad had sent him. Luis was not trying to say any mean or selfish comments to him. All Luis was trying to do was be kind. The text with the link was an invitation to a Christmas party that Juan’s dad was hosting. Juan was so angry. He had completely shut his father out of his life. And by doing this, what had he gained? By cutting all ties with his family, it made him miserable. Sure, he was a very rich man living in one of the best cities in America, but now none of that mattered. When he would drive the streets of L.A., he would see families enjoying themselves eating ice cream cones, or going shopping together, and he would ignore them. “A family can not help me. All I need is a good job and a big house.” Juan would often think to himself. But he was wrong. He had made a terrible mistake. He was not happy. He was miserable and lonely. That afternoon, Juan went to the store and bought a phone. The first number that he added was his father’s. He went into work the next day being happy and angry. He was happy that his father had texted and invited him to a party. This text message had changed Juan’s life forever. But he was angry at himself. All he had to do was apologize, but instead he had been miserable for 16 years. At work, he had many tables to wait on that day but was not as stressed as the day before. He now knew that his father actually cared about him. Table after table, he worked his way through the day. But as he was leaving, his boss approached him and asked him to serve one more table. Juan was a little reluctant because he had to leave to be in California City by midnight so he could go and visit his father. As he walked out of the kitchen and into the dining room, he dropped his pad of paper. There, at the end of the room, sat his father. Luis had made the 2 hour drive to come and see his selfish son. But there was more. It was not just Luis sitting at the table, but Juan’s 3 brothers and 2 sisters were also there. They had all come to see him. “We figured you were lonely out here, so we came to visit!” said Juan’s 7 year old sister, Angelina. Juan turned around to pick up his notepad and saw his boss standing behind him and smiling. “Go.” He said. “Your family needs you. I will take care of the food.”. Juan went and sat down with his family. He asked his father only one question. “Why would you want to ever see me again?” he asked. Luis’s reply was so simple, but was the best 5 words that Juan had heard in the last 16 years. “Because I love you, son.” He asked why his brothers and sisters came. Their reply was, “Because we love you.”. He sat there for hours and talked. Even after the restaurant closed, they stayed and talked. They all acknowledged that they were wrong, and they forgave each other. Juan drove home that night so happy. His father loved him, and he loved his father. All because of a text, a whole family was reconciled. He got home and went to sleep that night. The next morning he woke up, and he quit his job. He got a truck and packed up all of his belongings and left his mansion. He drove to California City, and moved into his dad’s house. He soon bought a house, and got a job. Juan’s brother, Julio, opened up a restaurant in the downtown area with Juan. He eventually got married, and he had 3 children. But soon to follow, his beautiful wife, Andrea, died. Then all of Juan’s children moved away. Scared that what happened to him would happen to his children, he moved to Dallas, where his kids lived. He made sure that he always kept in contact with his 3 children, Maria, Fernando, and Luis. Juan learned one of the most important things in life. That money, a big house, and lots of parties is not all that you need to be happy. In fact, if you only have these things, you will not be happy. You will be miserable. What you need is family.