Jhaqueil Reagan, 18, set off for a job interview some 10 miles away.
It was a freezing-cold February morning in slushy conditions.
He was walking. He had to.
His mother had passed away two years earlier, leaving him as the sole caregiver for his two younger siblings.
He was desperate for a regular paycheck.
Still, after three hours he'd covered only three miles.
He stopped off briefly at a Cajun restaurant to ask for directions from owner Art Bouvier.
Bouvier gave him what he needed, also directing him to the bus station.
Fifteen minutes later, he caught up to Reagan, who had resumed walking. He had no money for the bus.
Bouvier drove him to the interview, which mattered little.
The next day, he hired him.
"This is the kind of kid I want working for me," he said. "It's been a while since I've met someone so young with a work ethic like that!"
The media got wind of the story, and the publicity has driven enough business to the store to lead to the opening of a second restaurant.
These days, Reagan takes the bus to work.
"I like greeting people with a smile on my face," he says.
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