Write a short story about a person who gets fired from his job, but ends up having the best day of his life.


On March 3rd 1974, Jim was fired from his job as a janitor at Elmhurst Elementary School. While officially, Jim was let go due to "budgetary constraints", it was quite clear to him that it had more to do with his age than any financial strain on the school district. See, Jim was born in 1899, he had just turned 75 years old in January and was starting to "slow down" on the job. He could no longer do some of the highly intensive labor that his profession often entailed, and it became noticeable. 

After his last day of work, Jim walked to his home, which conveniently was only three blocks south of the school. On his walk, he couldn't help but feel sad and slightly embarrassed. He knew that his wife, Miriam, would understand, but he felt like he let her and himself down. For nearly 40 years, Jim worked at Elmhurst Elementary School and was beloved by the thousands of students that came through those doors. While he wasn't going to miss cleaning up student's throw-up or a cafeteria that resembled more of a war zone than a public eating space, he was going to miss the children. Watching them learn, play, and grow was always what made the job worth it to him.

When Jim walked through the door of his one story home, Miriam was there to greet him. She could tell what had happened by the look on his face. Particularly, she could tell by his eyes. Jim's eyes were a portal into his soul and, as such, a window into his emotions.

As Jim walked through the living room and into the kitchen, he saw two people, a man and a woman, sitting at the table, and in the woman's arms was a baby. This man was his son, Tommy, who he had not seen since he deployed for the Vietnam War three years prior. Up until this moment, Jim wasn't even sure if his son was alive. Jim's eyes opened wide with sheer elation at the sight, and a tear slowly formed in the corner of his left eye.

Over the next few hours, Jim sat with his son and his family and discussed all that had happened since the last time they had seen each other. Tommy spoke about how he had been designated as MIA by the US government after a particularly brutal ambush during one of his morning patrols. After many months of hiding from the enemy and searching for his unit, Tommy eventually stumbled across one of the final remaining US camps stationed in South Vietnam. It was at this camp that Tommy met his now wife, Sara. She was the nurse who oversaw his recovery. They fell in love immediately, got married, and Sara became pregnant, all before even leaving Vietnam for the United States. Tommy and Sara had returned to the US only a month ago, and their baby was born two weeks later.

While Jim laid in bed that night, he couldn't believe all the change that one day could bring. He woke up a janitor, and went to bed a grandfather. He knew his new job, and he looked forward to it. This was the best day of his life.