One day, she’d assisted an elderly man with a cane, carrying his groceries all the way to the bus stop.
She wrote that she finally understood why her treatment of Mrs. Kowalczyk had been so hurtful.
I kept the letter.
I wasn’t ready to respond.
But I hoped she had truly changed.
Around that time, I made another major decision.
I sold Rosie’s Two.
The suburban restaurant was profitable, but I’d realized I no longer wanted to spend my life expanding a business while neglecting the people who made it meaningful.
Denise asked whether I was certain.
“I opened Rosie’s to honor my mother,” I told her. “Then I got so focused on earning more that I forgot why I’d started.”
The sale gave me the resources to address the remaining documented losses associated with the fraud.
Altogether, I spent approximately $41,000 helping affected customers with unreimbursed expenses.
Some needed assistance covering bank fees.
Others had experienced delayed payments or financial disruptions.
