I Laid My Son to Rest 15 Years Ago – When I Hired a Man at My Store, I Could Have Sworn He Looked Exactly Like Him
Karen cried until she couldn’t breathe.
I just sat there.
The search lasted for months.
Life continued.
Karen and I never had other children. We talked about it, but I think we believed losing another child would destroy us completely.
So instead, I buried myself in work.
I owned a small hardware and supply store just outside of town. Keeping it running gave me something to focus on, which made the days move forward.
Fifteen years passed in that way.
I buried myself in work.
Then, one afternoon, something strange happened.
I’d been sitting in the office flipping through resumes for a janitor position. The store needed someone dependable.
Most of the applications looked the same: short job histories, a few references, nothing memorable.
Then I reached one that made me stop.
The name at the top read “Barry.”
I told myself it was just a coincidence. “Barry” was a common name.
One afternoon, something strange happened.
But when I looked at the photo attached to the application, my hands froze.
The man in it looked uncannily familiar. He was 26, had darker hair than my son, broader shoulders, and a rougher look around the eyes. But something about his face struck me hard.
The shape of his jaw.
The curve of his smile.
It looked like the man my son might’ve grown into!
Something about his face struck me hard.
I sat, staring at the photo.
There was a seven-year gap in his work history.
And right below that gap was a short explanation: incarcerated.
Most people would’ve tossed the resume aside right then.
I didn’t. Maybe it was the memories of my late son that made me do what I did.
Instead, I picked up the phone and called the number on the page.
There was a seven-year gap in his work history.
Barry arrived for the interview the following afternoon. When he stepped into the office and sat across from me, he looked nervous but determined. The resemblance hit me even harder.
For a moment, I couldn’t speak.
He gave a small, awkward smile.
“I appreciate the chance to interview, sir.”
His voice pulled me back to reality.
The resemblance hit me even harder.
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