Jimmy couldn’t believe his eyes when the man he’d bought coffee for that morning stepped onto the plane and took a seat right next to him in first class. Who was this man, and why had he been begging for money earlier?
I was on my way home to meet Kathy’s parents—my fiancée—for the very first time.
Before heading to the gate, I decided to stop by a cozy café. I preferred the bustling chatter and warm aroma of freshly brewed coffee to the cold, impersonal feel of the terminal. As I enjoyed my drink, a man shuffled inside. His clothes were worn, his face weary, and his movements hesitant. He moved from person to person, quietly asking if someone might spare him enough for a drink. His appearance spoke volumes—clearly, life had not been kind to him.
When he walked up to me, I asked him calmly, “What can I get for you?”
“Jamaican Blue Mountain,” he replied, his voice almost shy. It was the most expensive item on the menu. Curious, I asked why he chose it. He admitted it was his birthday and that he had always wanted to try it.
There was something about his candor that struck a chord with me. I decided to treat him, buying not only the coffee but also a slice of cake. We sat together, and he opened up, sharing a deeply moving story of heartbreak, betrayal, and misfortune. When it was time to leave, I handed him $100, wished him all the best, and hurried off to catch my flight.
Hours later, as I settled into my seat in first class, my pulse quickened. The same man was walking down the aisle—except he looked completely different. Gone were the worn clothes and the tired expression. Now he wore an impeccably tailored suit, and a shiny, elegant watch gleamed on his wrist.
I stared at him, completely baffled. “What is happening here?” I asked, my voice shaky.
He leaned back in his seat, a confident smirk spreading across his face. “Let’s just call it… a test,” he said smoothly.
“A test?” I repeated, my voice laced with disbelief. “What do you mean?”
“Allow me to properly introduce myself,” he said, pausing to gauge my reaction. “I’m David. Kathy’s father.”
I blinked in shock. “Wait… you’re her dad? The one I’m flying out to meet?”
“The very same,” he replied with a knowing grin. “I wanted to see who my daughter’s fiancé really is—beyond the formal dinner conversations and rehearsed pleasantries.”
I felt my stomach drop. Why hadn’t Kathy mentioned any of this? Was she in on this scheme?
“So, all of this… it was staged?” I asked, my voice strained.
He nodded, still calm. “It was necessary. It’s easy to be kind when people are watching. But I wanted to see how you’d treat someone you thought had nothing to offer you. And you passed the first part.”
“The first part?” I echoed nervously. “How many parts are there?”
Without answering, he opened a notebook and handed me a pen. “Just one more. Write a letter to Kathy.”
“A letter?”
“Yes,” he confirmed, leaning back in his chair. “Write to her about why you love her, why you want to marry her, and how you’ll take care of her. Don’t overthink it—just be honest.”
I stared at the blank page, feeling the weight of the task ahead. My hands trembled slightly as I gripped the pen. This wasn’t something I had prepared for, but I knew there was no way out.
Taking a deep breath, I began to write. The words didn’t come easily at first, but slowly, they began to flow. As the emotions poured out, my focus shifted from the test to Kathy herself—how much she meant to me, how I wanted to build a life with her.
By the time I finished, my hand ached, but there was an odd sense of relief in my chest.
I handed the notebook back to David, my pulse quickening. He scanned it briefly, then looked up at me with a small smile.
“You passed,” he said simply. “Welcome to the family.”
A wave of relief washed over me, but before I could celebrate, he added, “Now, let’s see how you handle yourself at home.”
When the plane landed, I was drained—physically, emotionally, completely. As we walked through the terminal, I tried to stay composed, hoping I’d done enough to win his approval, though doubt still lingered in my mind.
The drive to Kathy’s parents’ house was mostly silent. When we arrived, Kathy and her mother, Susan, greeted us warmly, joined by her siblings.
Dinner that night was tense, with polite conversation filling the room as David observed everything from his seat at the head of the table. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was still being evaluated.
As the meal wound down, David set his glass down and cleared his throat.
“Jimmy,” he said, his voice steady. “You’ve proven yourself to me. I’ve seen who you really are, and that matters.”
He turned to Kathy, his face softening. “He’s a good man. You have my blessing.”
Hearing those words, my heart soared. But the look in David’s eyes told me there was still more unspoken, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
After dinner, as Kathy and I helped her parents clean up, I felt like the tension had finally lifted. Everything seemed to be falling into place.
That’s when I noticed a folded piece of paper sitting on the counter. Curious, I picked it up and unfolded it.
It was a receipt—from the café I had visited that morning. The one where I first met David.
The receipt wasn’t just for the coffee I bought for David. There was an extra line at the bottom that caught my attention.
“Additional donation — $100.”
I picked it up and turned to Kathy, holding it up.
“What’s this about?” I asked, puzzled.
She smiled knowingly. “Oh, that’s my dad’s way of settling things.”
“Settling what?” I pressed, still confused.
Kathy leaned casually against the counter, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. “The $100 you gave him at the café. Remember that? He didn’t keep it. After you left, he gave it to the café staff and told them to add it as a donation.”
I stared at her, trying to piece it all together. “Wait… how do you even know that? Did you know about this the whole time? Were you involved?”
Her sly smile widened. “Of course I was,” she admitted. “You didn’t think it was just about the coffee, did you? And how do you think Dad knew about your flight? Obviously, I told him. It was all part of the plan, Jimmy.”
At that moment, it hit me—I wasn’t marrying into an ordinary family. These people were different. They were thoughtful, generous, and had a unique way of teaching me a valuable lesson about kindness. They wanted me to understand what it truly meant to be part of their family.
