I fired of a single mom for being late, then found out why and begged for forgiveness...
For about 6 years, I’ve been a supervisor, always believing that I was fair—firm, yes, but fair. Guidelines are guidelines and they are there for a reason, and if I start allowing exceptions, where would it end? That’s what I told Maria when I dismissed her last week.
She was late for the third time this month, and our policy was clear: three strikes, you’re out. When I called her into my office, she didn’t dispute. She just nodded quietly, picked up her bag, and left.
Later that day, I overheard two colleagues talking. “Did you hear about Maria’s son?” one of them asked. “Yeah,” the other replied. “She’s been sleeping in her car with him.”
That’s when I discovered: Maria had been kicked out 3 weeks ago. Her ex-husband was long gone—no child support, no family to rely on. She and her 5-year-old son had been living in their car.
The reason she’d been late is because every morning, she would drive across town to a church where they could clean up before taking him to school.
I was filled with guilt. I hadn’t fired someone for being careless, I had punished someone who was struggling to survive.
I tried contacting her, but she didn’t answer. I texted her, still nothing. I started calling shelters, food banks, any place that might have supported her.
Most places were not allowed to share information, but one woman at a local church paused when I mentioned Maria’s name.
“She was here two nights ago with her son,” she said. “Picked up some food and blankets.”
Just when I was about to lose hope, I noticed an old sedan in a grocery store parking lot across the street. The windows were foggy, and from beneath a blanket in the back seat, a face peeked out.
I knocked gently on the window. A moment later, Maria sat up in the driver’s seat, clearly wary and alarmed. But the moment she recognized me, her face went blank.
“I’m so sorry,” I said. “Please, let me help.”
I offered her the job back, no conditions attached. But that wasn’t enough—I wanted to help her rebuild. My friend ran an apartment complex, and there was an available unit.
No deposit was needed, and I knew of programs in the city that could assist with food and childcare.
She looked back at her son, then at me. With a trembling voice, she said “okay”.
In the weeks that followed, my friend got her into the apartment, the company approved a small raise for her, and I was able to successfully connect her with some assistance programs. It wasn’t everything she required, but it was a start.
One afternoon, she entered my office. “I just wanted to say thank you,” she said. “Not just for the job—but for noticing me.”
She smiled, and for the first time, it glowed through her eyes.
That night I had a tough time falling asleep as I thought about how close I had come to making an unforgivable mistake. It’s easy to get caught up in rules and forget that people aren’t just names on a list.
You never know what someone might be going through, and sometimes all they need is someone to listen—to truly see them.
The key point is that kindness should not come with restrictions. And sometimes, the best thing to do is break the rules.