A rich young woman mocks the janitor at her father’s company and he decides to teach her a lesson she will never forget.
Danielle Grobber was used to having everything her own way. She was beautiful, intelligent, talented, and very, very rich. Or at least, Danielle’s father was very rich and she’d always thought of his money as hers.
So Danielle, or Danie, as her friends called her, was more than a little spoiled, but she always managed to charm her way out of trouble with her sweet talk and her dazzling smile. Then she crossed a line, and her father taught her a life lesson she would never forget.
Danielle was about to go off on a two-week dream vacation to the Caribean and had talked her father into taking her on a shopping spree. Not that Danie was in need of anything, she just loved shopping with her dad.
Unfortunately, he had to skip their lunch to attend to some urgent issues, and so she’d wandered around a bit before walking into a famous fast food restaurant and ordering herself a burger with all the trimmings, fries, a large soda, and an apple pie.
She took her order and walked back to her dad’s building which was surrounded by a well-tended lawn dotted with shady trees, comfortable benches, and murmuring fountains. She sat and ate her food while she texted her friends on her phone.
When she finished, she wiped her lips, crumpled the napkin, and carefully applied lipstick. Then she got up and started to walk away, leaving all the packaging and left-overs on the bench.
A voice stopped her in her tracks. “Excuse me, miss!” the voice said. “Please pick up your trash and put it in the bin.”
Treat everyone with respect if you want to be respected.
Danie turned around and stared at a thin elderly man in a janitor’s uniform who was sweeping the garden path. “Excuse me?” she asked. “Are you talking to ME?”
“Yes, young lady,” the man said. “This little park is for the people who work here to enjoy, and I don’t think it’s fair to leave rubbish behind.”
“I don’t clean up!” Danie said arrogantly. “People clean up for ME. People like you, the servant class — isn’t that your job? So do it — clean it up!”
The elderly man flushed. “Young lady,” he said. “My job is to keep this building and this garden spick and span but what you did is disrespectful…”
Danie interrupted him rudely. “You work for my father, which means you work for me! If I tell you to clean up, you clean up, if I tell you to lick my shoes, you lick my shoes or I’ll get you fired!”
It was at that moment that Danie heard a voice like thunder: “DANIELLE!” She turned around to find her father standing there looking furious. “Who do you think you are?” Jack Grobber asked her. “How dare you humiliate this man, who has worked for me for over 20 years. A hard-working man, with a family!”
“Daddy?” said Danie in her best little girl voice. “Please don’t be mad at me…I’m sooo sorry!” But under her sweet smile, Jack caught a flicker of mockery. Danie thought she was going to get away with this, just like she’d gotten away with everything in the past.
“Apologize to Mr. Terence, Danielle,” Jack ordered and watched as his daughter turned to the janitor with her most charming manner — but now he knew it was all an act.
“It’s my fault,” Jack thought. “I have to put this right!” But how do you undo a lifetime of indulgence and teach a young woman respect and responsibility?
Then Jack had a brilliant idea. “Mr. Terence, you look very tired!” he said. “I think you need a vacation!”
Mr. Terence smiled and shook his head. “My wife says the same, Mr. Grobber, but I’m saving up my vacation days for the end of the year so we can spend Christmas with the grandchildren!”
“That’s quite alright, Mr. Terence,” Jack said. “I’m giving you two weeks off and an all-expenses-paid trip to the Bahamas for you and your wife!”
Mr. Terence’s gaped. “Sir? The Bahamas…But who will fill in for me?”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Terence,” Jack said smiling. “My daughter Danielle will be more than happy to fill in for you, to make up for the unpleasant way she treated you.”
“WHAT?” screamed Danie, “Are you mad, daddy? I’m going on vacation…”
“Not anymore,” Jack said. “Mr. and Mrs. Terence are going in your place, and you will do his job while he is away.”
“YOU CAN’T DO THAT TO ME!” screamed Danielle. “I’m not a janitor! Cleaning toilets? Sweeping? Picking up other people’s trash? I won’t do it!”
“Yes you will,” her father said coldly. “Or I will cut off your allowance, take away that convertible…”
“It’s MY car!” cried Danie.
“No, Danielle,” Jack said quietly. “It’s MY car. I paid for it, I pay for the insurance and the gas. It’s all mine. Everything you have, I give you, so I think it’s time you learned how hard people have to work for every dollar.”
Danie knew her father very well, and by the look in his eyes, she realized she’d crossed some boundary. He would not be sweet-talked out of this crazy notion!
“You start on Monday,” Jack told her, then he turned to Mr. Terence. “And you’d better go home and pack, Mr. Terence! Bon Voyage!”
Monday morning Danie was there in her uniform, cleaning and sweeping, and emptying trash cans. By the end of the day she was exhausted, her beautiful nails were ruined, and her soft pampered hands were red and sore.
By the time Mr. Terence came back from the Bahamas with an amazing tan, Danie was quite an expert at the job and he was happy to report to Mr. Grobber that she’d left everything spick and span — no trash in the garden!
As for Danie, she never again disrespected anyone for doing a hard day’s work because she knew exactly what that felt like!
Linda Kozlowski: She went from starring in Crocodile Dundee to starting a new chapter in Morocco.
After her big role in Crocodile Dundee, Linda Kozlowski became famous worldwide. She acted alongside Paul Hogan in the movie and later started a wonderful romantic relationship with him.
However, in 2014, Kozlowski and Hogan broke up, even though they have a son together. Since then, she has focused on living her own life and finding new love.
A Passionate Start in Acting
Linda Kozlowski was born on January 7, 1958, in Fairfield, Connecticut. Ever since she was young, she loved acting and decided to make it her career.
Kozlowski got into the famous theater program at the Juilliard School in New York. After graduating in 1981, she started acting in off-Broadway shows. Later, she got small parts on Broadway and in TV shows, including a co-starring role with Dustin Hoffman in the TV movie “Death of a Salesman.”
From New York to California
Moving to New York to pursue acting was tough for Kozlowski. After her role in “Death of a Salesman,” she ended up working as a waitress and struggled to find more acting jobs. Luckily, she had become close to Dustin Hoffman, who became her mentor.
Feeling frustrated with her lack of success in New York, Kozlowski decided to move to California. Hoffman and his wife invited her to stay at their beach house in Malibu, and while she was there, she went to an audition for Crocodile Dundee.
A Life-Changing Role
Linda Kozlowski’s audition for Crocodile Dundee was unforgettable. Dustin Hoffman told her she got the part, and she knew it would change her life.
In the original Crocodile Dundee movie, which came out in 1986, she co-starred with Paul Hogan. The film was a huge hit, making over $320 million and becoming one of the most popular movies of the year.
Life After Crocodile Dundee
Even though Crocodile Dundee was a big success, Kozlowski felt her career was too focused on that one film. She turned down many offers because she wanted to be known for her own talent and not just as someone connected to the movie’s success.
Kozlowski did appear in the sequels to Crocodile Dundee, which came out in 1988 and 2001. However, those were her only other movie roles. She decided to quit acting after her son, Chance Hogan, was born in 1998. She wanted to focus on raising him and chose to leave the spotlight.
A New Chapter
In 2014, Linda Kozlowski and Paul Hogan ended their marriage after 23 years. After the split, she decided to start a new chapter in her life. She fell in love with Moulay Hafid Baba, a tour guide from Morocco. Together, they founded Dream My Destiny, a luxury travel agency in Marrakech, Morocco. They create special travel plans for clients based on what they like.
Now 63 years old, Linda Kozlowski doesn’t want to act in movies anymore. She’s happy with her life and thinks real life is more satisfying than acting. She values her independence and freedom, which she felt restricted during her acting days.
Living an exciting life in Morocco, Kozlowski remembers her Hollywood days fondly. Acting taught her valuable skills like intuition, which she now uses in her new career.
Even though Linda Kozlowski isn’t as famous now, people will always remember her as Sue Charlton from Crocodile Dundee. She made a lasting impact in movies and still lives life her own way.
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