\u201cWhat have you got there, Linda?\u201d Gregory asked as he approached her. \nLinda looked up, startled. \u201cYou tell me, Dad. I\u2019m too scared to open it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory frowned and took the letter from his daughter. The name of a legal practice was printed on the envelope.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would a lawyer be contacting me?\u201d \nGregory shrugged. He tore the envelope open and studied the papers inside. His jaw dropped, and his fingers began shaking as he read.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s bad, isn\u2019t it?\u201d \n\u201cIt\u2019s\u2026 strange. According to this letter, somebody has left you a business comprising three restaurants, and it\u2019s worth nearly four million dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat!\u201d Linda snatched the letter from Gregory\u2019s hands. \u201cIt\u2019s got to be a scam.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did this to find out whether you\u2019re a good person.\u201d \n\u201cThere\u2019s an easy way to find out.\u201d Gregory leaned over to indicate the lawyer\u2019s phone number on the letterhead.<\/p>\n
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Linda called the lawyer and arranged a meeting for the next day. Gregory accompanied her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis has got to be a mistake,\u201d Linda told the lawyer when they entered his office. \n\u201cI don\u2019t know anyone who would leave me a business.\u201d<\/p>\n
The lawyer shook his head. \u201cThere\u2019s no mistake, Miss. My client, Matthew Markham, was very particular in his instructions.\u201d \nGregory felt as though he\u2019d been electrocuted. \u201cPlease, say that name again.\u201d \n\u201cMatthew Markham.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory understood everything then. He hung his head and burst into tears. \nA few months earlier\u2026<\/p>\n
Matthew shivered with anxiety as he approached the cashier. He set down the packet of gum and stared at the man who rang it up. The nametag on his chest said \u2018Gregory.\u2019 He was the right man.<\/p>\n
\u201cSir? Are you okay?\u201d \n\u201cFine.\u201d Matthew realized he\u2019d zoned out and handed the cashier a five-dollar bill. \u201cBut I do need to talk to you. It\u2019s about Linda.\u201d<\/p>\n
The man looked up sharply at the customer who had just uttered his little daughter\u2019s name. \u201cIs she in some kind of trouble?\u201d \nMatthew shook his head. \u201cDo you have a few minutes, please?\u201d<\/p>\n
Matthew and Gregory arranged to meet at a diner nearby during Gregory\u2019s lunch break. While Matthew waited, he thought over the revelations that had brought him to this point.<\/p>\n
A few days earlier, he\u2019d been discussing his terminal illness with a close friend, Jeremy, and lamenting that he had no heirs to whom he could leave his restaurant business. \nThen Jeremy dropped a revelation on him: Matthew had a daughter he didn\u2019t know about. His ex-girlfriend had died in childbirth, and the baby was placed up for adoption.<\/p>\n
Matthew immediately hired a detective to track her down. Days later, he was finally sitting down with Gregory, the man who\u2019d adopted his daughter.<\/p>\n
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Matthew explained to Gregory that he was Linda\u2019s biological father and then asked the question that was foremost in his mind:<\/p>\n
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\u201cDoes Linda know she was adopted?\u201d \n\u201cNo, and you can\u2019t tell her, sir.\u201d Gregory looked at him pleadingly. \u201cMy wife left me a couple of months back, and I can\u2019t lose Linda too. Please, don\u2019t take her from me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matthew was torn. He wanted to know his daughter but didn\u2019t want to cause problems for the man who\u2019d raised her. He also didn\u2019t want to upset his daughter\u2019s life by introducing himself when he only had a few months more to live.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is she like?\u201d Matthew asked. \u201cIs she a good person?\u201d \nGregory smiled. \u201cShe\u2019s an amazing person. She\u2019s kind and treats everyone equally.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matthew nodded. He was starting to get an idea.<\/p>\n
The next day, Matthew disguised himself as a poor man and went to the store where Linda worked as a cashier. He took a few essential food items to her checkout and waited while she rang them up. \n\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Miss,\u201d he said once she told him the cost.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t afford all of that. I\u2019ve only got ten dollars.\u201d \n\u201cDon\u2019t worry about it, sir.\u201d Linda smiled at him. \u201cI\u2019ll cover the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matthew left the store and returned a week later. This time, he wore his finest suit. He chose several of the most expensive items in the store and again went to Linda\u2019s checkout. \n\u201cGet out of the way,\u201d Matthew shouted as he pushed his way to the front of the queue. \u201cI\u2019m in a hurry and need to be served fast.\u201d<\/p>\n
He set his purchases down in front of Linda and waved his hands at her. \u201cHurry up, girl, I\u2019ve got an important meeting to attend.\u201d \n\u201cThen you\u2019ll have to tell them you\u2019re going to be delayed.\u201d Linda pushed his purchases aside and gestured to the woman behind him. \u201cYou\u2019re next, ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to be served first!\u201d Matthew exclaimed. \n\u201cThat\u2019s too bad, sir. I don\u2019t allow anyone to push to the front of the queue, no matter how important you think you are.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Matthew grinned from ear to ear. \u201cI\u2019m glad you said that.\u201d \nHe reached for a bouquet of yellow lilies and placed the cash to pay for them on the counter. \u201cThese are for you, Linda. My name is Matthew, and I did this to find out whether you\u2019re a good person.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo me one favor, please, and remember my name when you see these lilies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Present day\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cMatthew is the name of your biological father, Linda,\u201d Gregory said. \u201cYou\u2019re adopted.\u201d \n\u201cWhy did you never tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m so sorry. I never wanted you to feel bad about it. Then your mother left, and I was afraid you\u2019d leave me too if you knew I wasn\u2019t your real father.\u201d<\/p>\n
Linda hugged him. \u201cI\u2019d never do that, dad.\u201d \nThe lawyer cleared his throat. \u201cAs I was saying, my client bequeathed his three restaurants to you, his sole heir, when he passed away a month ago. These restaurants are each worth over a million dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Markham also had a special request. He wanted me to give you something.\u201d \nThe lawyer left the room and soon returned with a bouquet of yellow lilies, which he presented to Linda.<\/p>\n
Linda cradled the flowers in her arms. \u201cI understand now.\u201d She turned to Gregory. \u201cHe came into my shop once and asked that I remember his name when I see yellow lilies.\u201d \nGregory placed a hand on Linda\u2019s shoulder. \u201cI\u2019m sure he was very proud of you, Linda, and will continue to be proud of you from heaven.\u201d<\/p>\n
What can we learn from this story?<\/p>\n
Treat people equally, and you will be rewarded. Matthew was encouraged to leave his business to Linda when he saw that she was a good person.<\/p>\n