Minnie couldn’t believe that 50 good-looking men had come to school to brighten her day. It was an unexpected blessing from the universe – but would it all last after Father’s Day?
Minnie used to believe in miracles and magic, but now she was beginning to doubt it all seriously. A whole week had passed since her sixth birthday and her wish had still not come true.
Of course, there were little things she could be thankful for. Life had become a little easier since the orphan was taken in by her adoptive mother, who lived alone in a luxurious house with large windows.
But the novelty of gourmet breakfasts and fancy dresses soon passed, and the girl began to dream of things she couldn’t share with anyone, not even her adoptive mother.
It wasn’t something a lady could buy her anyway. No one could ‘buy’ a father. And yet, surrounded by her new luxurious life, it was really all she wanted.
One morning the nanny got Minnie ready for school, gave her breakfast, and drove her to school. “Can I roll the window down?” asked Minnie, looking wonderfully at the trees along the road, swaying in the gusts of wind.
“No, that will ruin your hair!” – Nanny said in her gruff voice.
Minnie pouted, crossed her arms, and began to scold the Universe again. “What’s taking you so long, Universe? Where’s my daddy? I bet he’d let me roll the windows down!”
It seemed that the Universe wanted it to be scolded that day. In class, Minnie’s teacher, Mr. Thompson, made an unexpected statement that made her frown.
“Kids, tomorrow is Father’s Day! And at school, we all celebrate by having Breakfast with Dads! Tomorrow you can all bring your dads or someone you think is your dad to school. We will all sit in a big circle, tell funny stories, sing songs, have breakfast together, and have a great time!”
“What do you think of that?”
“Horrible, terrible, worst idea ever!” – Minnie muttered. She caught Mr. Thompson’s eye and quickly changed her grimace into a smile.
During the rest of the day, the children talked only about the person they would bring to class. Most children talked about their fathers: businessmen, policemen, engineers, and even actors. A few more wanted to bring their favorite uncles and grandfathers. All had someone who was a father, except Minnie; she had no one.
By the end of lessons, Minnie was exhausted, ignoring her classmates’ questions, and was close to crying when she heard another question.
It turned out that this last question came from the teacher, Mr. Thompson. He noticed that after the Breakfast with Dads announcement that day the light had gone out in the little girl’s eyes. And after school he saw the little girl sitting alone at the school gate, waiting for the nanny to pick her up.
“Are you all right, Minnie?” – was all he asked, and the child, crying, hugged her legs.
When Mr. Thompson returned home in the evening, he could not forget the sadness he had seen on Minnie’s face and the heartbreaking desire she had secretly revealed to him.
In the middle of 7 pm, as he was drinking his coffee, Mr. Thompson had an idea. He opened his laptop, put on his glasses, and, as the keys on the keyboard rattled, Mr. Thompson began to smile.
The teacher posted a message on social media, telling Minnie’s touching story and asking any fathers to volunteer for her and come to school the next day as a father.
Mr. Thompson posted the message, skipped dinner, and got ready for a quick nap. Just as he was hoping the nice man would agree to this unusual request, his phone rang.
And it rang again and again. By the time the teacher was able to get to his feet, turn on the light and check his computer, he was shocked to see the number of messages flashing on the screen.
“Fifty volunteers? Did I get that right?” exclaimed Mr. Thompson.
He put on his glasses and read all the answers to his message. Although the teacher was worried that he would only get one kind volunteer, in fact, there were 50 kind people who had been touched by Minnie’s plight and had responded to brighten her day.
Once again, Mr. Thompson began typing, preparing an intricate surprise.
The next day Minnie went to school, unaware of the abundance of love awaiting her.
She walked down the corridors, staring at the floor, not noticing the line of adult men outside her classroom door.
Mr. Thompson called her name last after the other children had introduced their fathers to the class.
When Minnie was about to mutter that she had no one, Mr. Thompson put his arm around her shoulders and said: “Minnie, I know you wanted to find your father and you thought he was gone. You are right. There is not one man from among the fathers who have come forward to support you; there are 50 of them!”
Minnie was at first confused, but as she ran out of the classroom towards her fathers, pure joy overtook her. “Have you really come for me?” – She clapped excitedly.
“Of course, I have, Minnie! Mr. Thompson told us about you, and we wouldn’t miss it for the world!” One of the men held out a cute blue plush animal to Minnie.
“And we hear there are waffles too!” – Another added, eliciting genuine laughter from the crowd.
Volunteers joined other dads and children in participating in all the games and songs. Some volunteers brought guitars, ukuleles, and tambourines and they played and sang all the songs the children asked for.
Mr. Thompson stood at the back, enjoying the happiness and excitement on Minnie’s face.
After a very exciting day, Minnie started looking for one of the volunteers. It was a man with a pleasant voice and a small belly, the man who gave her the toy.
It turned out that the man was a successful toy shop owner next door, and that he and his wife were dreaming of adopting a child.
At the end of the evening, Minnie discovered that the nice man was talking to Mr. Thompson. Without thinking, she ran up to the man and hugged him, thanking him for the lovely gift.
A few weeks later, the man and his wife realized their dream, and Minnie finally stopped being angry at the universe. The couple adopted six-year-old Minnie, knowing that their life would never be the same again.
