MANAGER KICKED A FARMER OUT OF A CAR DEALERSHIP BECAUSE IT SMELLED OF EARTH AND NOBODY WANTED TO BUY A CAR, THEY WERE SO SHOCKED WHEN THE FARMER POURED MILLIONS OF PISOS ON THE TABLE TO BUY THE MOST EXPENSIVE PICK-UP TRUCK

It was noon inside “Elite Motors,” the city’s most famous car dealership. The floors were sparkling clean, and the cars were lined up like jewels—SUVs, sports cars, and pick-up trucks worth millions. The sales agents were neatly uniformed, smelling fresh, and waiting for wealthy-looking clients.

Amidst the silence, the glass door opened. Mang Gusting entered. He was in his sixties, wearing a faded polo shirt stained with mud, his pants rolled up to his knees, and flip-flops. His skin was sunburned, and he was carrying an old sack made of burlap.

The agents immediately looked over. They whispered and laughed.

“Hey, some farmer got lost! Maybe he thought this was a market!” joked one agent.

“Let him go, he’ll leave when he finds out that the only thing free here is air conditioning,” replied the other.

Sir Ricky, the Sales Manager known for being impoverished, approached. He looked Mang Gusting from head to toe with a mixture of disgust.

“Hey, Dad! What are you doing here?” Sir Ricky asked. “You’re not allowed to hang around here! Can you see the floor? Your feet are dirty, you’re leaving mud behind! You’re outside! This is not a waiting shed!”

Mang Gusting stopped. He smiled sheepishly. “Good afternoon, Sir. I was just going to ask about the car. I would like to buy a pick-up truck for my farm in the province.”

Sir Ricky burst out laughing. His laughter echoed throughout the showroom. “Buy? You? Look at yourself! The price of just the tires on this car, you won’t earn anything in your entire life growing sweet potatoes! Get out of here before I drag you to the guard! You are wasting my time!”

Mang Gusting bowed. He was used to being belittled because of his appearance, but it still hurt to hear it to his face. He was about to leave when a woman suddenly approached.

She was Ana, a new trainee. She had only been on the job for two months and hadn’t sold a car yet.

“Sir, don’t be like that,” Ana whispered to Ricky. She turned to Mang Gusting and smiled sincerely. “Dad, please excuse me. Come, sit here on the sofa. Would you like some coffee or water? You look tired.”

“Ana! What are you doing? Don’t let that guy in!” Ricky shouted.

“Sir, he’s still a customer. It’s my job to assist,” Ana replied politely but firmly. She took a glass of cold water and handed it to Mang Gusting.

Mang Gusting drank it. “Thank you, ineng. You’re so kind. I’ve been so thirsty for a while.”

“What are you looking for, Dad?” Ana asked.

Mang Gusting pointed to the biggest and most expensive 4×4 Pick-up Truck in the middle of the showroom. It was red, tall, and loaded with accessories. It was the Top of the Line model. “I like that. Is it sturdy in the mud? Can it lift a sack of rice?”

Sir Ricky, who was behind him, interrupted again. “Ana, he’s just fooling you! That truck is worth 2.5 Million pesos! Cash basis or bank approval is required for that. Do you think that old man has a bank account?”

Mang Gusting took a deep breath. He looked at Ana. “Ineng, how much are you? 2.5 Million? Is there a discount when paying in cash?”

“O-Yes, Dad, there is a discount…” Ana stammered.

Page: SAY – Story Around You | Original story

Mang Gusting slowly placed his bag on Ana’s shiny table. He opened it.

Inside the bag, bundles of money were revealed! Thousands of pesos tied with rubber bands. Some were old, some were new, but they were clearly real money. It smelled old, it smelled like savings, but it was still money.

Sir Ricky’s eyes widened. The other agent who had been laughing earlier dropped his jaw. The entire showroom fell silent.

“There, ineng. Count it,” Mang Gusting ordered. “I brought 3 million. That came from the sale of my land in the province that the highway passed through and from my savings from forty years of farming. I just want to buy a car so that my grandchildren won’t have to walk to town anymore.”

Suddenly, the wind changed. The disgust on Sir Ricky’s face was replaced by greed. He immediately approached and pushed Ana away.

“Sir! Sir!” Ricky greeted with a smile that reached ear to ear. “I’ll take care of you! I’m the manager here. The process is faster when I handle it. I’ll give you the best discount and freebies! Leave Ana alone, she’s just been slow to move.”

Ricky was about to take the bag when Mang Gusting suddenly grabbed his hand. The farmer’s grip was tight—hands hardened by work in the fields.

“Let go,” Mang Gusting said firmly.

Ricky dropped the sack, turning pale.

“When I came in here, you called me a vagrant,” Mang Gusting said loudly for everyone to hear. “You kicked me out because my feet were dirty. Now that you’ve seen my money, you’re suddenly kind? Money can be earned, but character can’t be bought.”

Mang Gusting turned to Ana who was standing to the side, still shocked.

“Ineng,” Mang Gusting called. “I’ll buy from you. You’re the only one who looked at me as a person. You’re the only one who offered me water. The commission on this will go to you.”

Ana burst into tears. “T-Thank you, Dad! This is a big help to my family!”

“Sir Ricky,” the old man turned to the manager. “Don’t try to steal this kid’s sales. When I find out that the commission didn’t go to him, I’ll take my money back and report you to the owner of this company. I’m your boss’s father in the cockpit.”

Ricky couldn’t do anything. He just bowed his head in shame as the employees looked at him. The others were secretly happy because their arrogant boss had finally found a match.

That same day, Mang Gusting took home the new car. Ana, on the other hand, got the biggest commission in the history of that branch as a trainee. She immediately became a regular employee and eventually became a Top Sales Agent.

Sir Ricky? He was fired after a few months because of numerous customer complaints about his behavior. Everyone at Elite Motors learned an important lesson: Don’t look down on others based on their clothes, because sometimes, the person carrying a bag and smelling of dirt is the one who can buy your whole personality.