We often think we know the people close to us, but sometimes we discover a hidden side that makes us wonder how well we really know them.

The Story:

I worked as a ticket booth operator at a minor league baseball stadium during the summers for about 3 years. The owner was a really nice old man (in his 80s) who always came in a wheelchair, pushed by his daughter. He often gave bonuses to employees for good work. He even gave me $300 once for helping one of his close childhood friends.

During one of the last games I worked there, he called me into his owner’s box, gave me free food, and handed me $1500 to thank me for all the hard work I had done over the years. He said he liked me because I didn’t pretend to like him just because of who he was.

I was confused and asked him what he meant. He then asked if I really didn’t know who he was. Still confused, he told me the truth: he was actually a Hall of Fame pitcher who played for the Cleveland Indians and Philadelphia A’s from the 1940s to the early 1960s. He even showed me a replica of his Hall of Fame plaque.