Authorities in Cornwall, England, along with the Public Works Department, have been searching for an enigmatic driver who allegedly took matters into their own hands and filled in a massive pothole in the center of the road with cement.
Although residents of Cornwall had to endure extra difficulties to avoid the region at the top of Tanhouse Road and Bodmin Hill in Lostwithiel due to the enormous hole that was in the midst of the tarmac, British people are well aware that the roads aren’t always the greatest.
The road was declared formally closed at the start of April. A representative for the Cornwall Council stated that the road’s surface degradation was caused by an ongoing dispute with drainage.
However, following a month of total government inaction, an unnamed person became quite agitated over the enormous pothole and made the decision to personally fill it with concrete over the first weekend of May. For a little while, the do-it-yourself fix succeeded, and the road was briefly reopened. However, Cormac, the road repair business employed by Cornwall Council, once again stopped the road since their crew hadn’t completed the work in a formal manner.
The Cornwall Highways chiefs are currently searching for the individual who is in charge of this. They added that the signs had been taken down without permission by an unidentified person who had completed the work.
The firm stated that until it catches up with the backlog of pothole repairs, the route would be closed until June 9th. “If information regarding who carried out the works becomes known in the community, I would be grateful if details could be shared,” stated a manager at Cornwall Highways. Colin Martin, the Cornwall councilor for Lanreath and Lostwithiel, said that this pothole served as the “ideal illustration of how the public sector as a whole is collapsing as a result of underfunding.”
“The road has been closed again and will remain closed until it is ‘properly’ repaired by Cormac,’ but they say this could be weeks away as all available teams have been diverted to filling smaller potholes on roads which are still open,” Mr. Martin said in an interview with Cornwall Live. The cash allocated for preventative maintenance and road resurfacing has been reduced by the Conservative-run Cornwall Council throughout the last two years. This imprudent choice has led to potholes popping up all throughout Cornwall more quickly than Cormac can patch them.
This is not the first time a citizen has taken up the role of the local government. A Toronto citizen noticed in 2017 that the community garden would benefit greatly from a new set of park stairs. However, the city estimated that it would cost between $65,000 and $150,000. Thus, for a meager $550, the man built it himself. Continue reading to learn what they did since, of course, the city was not at all pleased.
A Wealthy Man Pretended to Be a Waiter and Invited a Woman on a Date to the Restaurant He Owns
When wealthy restaurateur Nate meets down-to-earth Beth at a gas station, her charm catches him off guard. Intrigued but wary from past heartbreak, Nate invites her on a date with a twist. Will his charade of being a waiter at a restaurant he owns reveal her true intentions?
Neon paint splatters covered my clothes, and I didn’t realize how ridiculous I looked until I pulled up to the gas station. I stepped inside, feeling sore and a little dazed from an intense paintball match, and that’s when I saw her.
The cashier.
A cashier at a gas station | Source: Midjourney
Her blonde hair was tied up in a messy bun, a few wisps escaping around her face. When she noticed me and smiled, I swear my heart somersaulted.
“If the Terminator walked in right now,” she teased, “he definitely wouldn’t ask for your clothes.”
I blinked. For a second, I didn’t know whether to laugh or melt into the floor.
“I… I was just playing paintball,” I replied sheepishly. My cheeks flamed up in what I could only hope wasn’t an obvious blush.
A shy man | Source: Midjourney
She grinned wider, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “Really? That was my first guess.” She looked me up and down, making a show of inspecting the damage the paint had done to my clothes. “Did you win, or…?”
“Uh, yeah. My team won.” I shrugged, trying to appear casual, though it was hard to feel composed under her playful gaze.
“Well, congrats, soldier. Need a victory snack?” She winked at me and nodded at the candy shelf, her tone still dripping with mock seriousness.
A woman working as a gas station cashier | Source: Midjourney
I couldn’t help but laugh. This woman — Beth, her name tag read — was a breath of fresh air. I don’t know what came over me, but the next thing I knew, I blurted out, “Would you like to grab dinner with me sometime?”
She blinked, the smile fading slightly as surprise flickered in her eyes. For a moment, I feared I’d misread the whole thing. But then she tilted her head and her grin returned to full force.
“Alright. Sure… just no paintball, okay?”
A grinning gas station cashier | Source: Midjourney
We exchanged numbers, and I walked out of that gas station with a date to look forward to. I was excited, but it didn’t take long for the anxiety to set in.
I’ve been burned too many times before. Women were more interested in the idea of Nate, the wealthy restaurateur than in Nate, the man who liked obscure indie bands and reading Manga. So, I devised a little test. Maybe it was crazy, but I had to know.
I invited Beth to my upscale Italian restaurant downtown. It was the crown jewel of my empire, and would now also be the stage on which I’d expose Beth’s true intentions.
The interior of an upmarket restaurant | Source: Midjourney
I watched from across the room as Beth entered in a simple red dress that made her look effortlessly beautiful. The staff already knew the plan, so I hurried over to greet her, my heart pounding.
“Hey,” I said, guiding her to a corner table. “I’m so glad you came. I saved us the best table.”
Beth smiled, glancing around. “Oh? You come here so often you know which table is the best?”
A woman speaking to her male companion | Source: Midjourney
I chuckled as I sat across from her, fidgeting with the napkin. “Yeah, I work here. Just finished my shift, actually.”
Her eyes flickered with surprise, but her trademark grin quickly replaced it. “Really? I’ve always wanted to be a waitress. Maybe I’ll jump in for a shift after dinner.”
I laughed nervously, watching her reaction closely. “I don’t recommend it. The pay’s awful, and the hours? Brutal.”
As if on cue, one of my waiters approached with menus, winking subtly at me.
A man seated at a table with his date | Source: Midjourney
“Good to see you, Nate. Still recovering from that lunch rush?” he asked, playing his part perfectly.
“Yeah, barely survived,” I said with a tight smile.
Dinner arrived, and soon we were talking and laughing like old friends. She told me about her love of books, and how she used to want to write, but ended up working at the gas station to help her mom out.
She was funny and quick-witted. Her humor caught me off guard at every turn and I was thoroughly charmed by her.
A woman in a restaurant | Source: Midjourney
Being with her felt… effortless.
As dessert approached, my restaurant manager, Tom, came over, looking furious. Of course, it was all part of the act, but Beth didn’t know that.
“Nate!” Tom snapped, glaring at me. “You skipped out on the last 15 minutes of your shift. What the hell? Get back to the kitchen and wash the dishes, or you’re fired!“
Beth’s eyes went wide, and I could see the shock register.
A wide-eyed woman | Source: Midjourney
Beth stood, her face softening with concern. “Hey, it’s okay. If you need to go, go. We can always—”
“I’m really sorry,” I cut in, feeling the weight of the lie. “I’ll have to finish up back there. I’ll, uh, text you later?”
“Sure,” she replied with a wink.
And with that, I excused myself, heading toward the kitchen, my mind racing. I needed time to think and to plan my next move, but I had barely been back there for two minutes when the kitchen door creaked open.
A staff entrance in a restaurant kitchen | Source: Pexels
Beth slipped in, her face glowing with a mixture of amusement and determination.
“You haven’t started yet?” she teased, rolling up her sleeves. “Come on. Let’s wash these dishes together and then go for a walk on the pier.”
I stared at her, completely floored. How did I get so lucky? A flood of emotions swept over me. It was clear now that Beth really did like me, enough to wash a mountain of dirty dishes so we could continue our date at the pier… how was I going to tell her this was all a test?
A thoughtful man | Source: Midjourney
The dishes clinked together as we scrubbed side by side, our elbows occasionally bumping. Guilt stabbed at me each time Beth smiled at me like this was the most natural thing in the world — standing in the back of a high-end restaurant, washing dishes after a first date.
I couldn’t stop stealing glances at her, wondering how someone like her could be so unaffected by everything.
After we finished, Beth wiped her hands on her dress, completely unfazed by the water spots. She looked at me with a playful gleam in her eyes.
A smiling woman in a restaurant kitchen | Source: Midjourney
“Well, I can’t say I expected to end up elbow-deep in suds tonight, but it wasn’t half bad. So, what now? Are we walking to the pier, or are you making me clean the kitchen, too?”
I chuckled, but the sound caught in my throat. I had to come clean with her. It was now or never.
“Beth, I have to tell you something,” I said, my voice a little too serious for the moment.
She tilted her head, her smile fading just a bit. “Okay…?”
A woman smiling uncertainly | Source: Midjourney
I took a breath, the truth ready to burst out of me. “I’m not a waiter. Well, I used to be, but not anymore. I’m actually the owner of this place. I own this restaurant and two others in the city.”
Beth blinked, her brows knitting together in confusion. “Wait… what?”
“The whole thing tonight was a setup,” I admitted, guilt creeping into my voice. “I wanted to see if you liked me for who I am, not for the money or the restaurant. I know it’s crazy, but I’ve been burned before, and didn’t want to risk it again.”
A guilty man | Source: Midjourney
For a moment, Beth just stood there, her expression unreadable. My heart pounded in my chest as the silence stretched on. Then, she crossed her arms and gave me a long, searching look.
“So, let me get this straight,” she finally said, her tone carefully neutral. “You lied to me all night because you thought I might be… what? A gold digger?”
I winced. “It wasn’t like that. I just… I’ve had bad experiences. But I like you so much… I just didn’t want to mess this up.”
Her gaze softened a little, but there was still a hurt flicker in her eyes.
A woman in a kitchen with a hurt expression | Source: Midjourney
“So, you were testing me.”
“I know it sounds terrible, and it is,” I said quickly, stepping closer. “But I had to be sure you liked me for me.”
Beth stood quietly for a moment, processing. Then she shook her head with a small, incredulous laugh.
“So… did I pass your test?”
I nodded earnestly, feeling the weight of the night lift off my shoulders. “With flying colors.”
A serious man | Source: Midjourney
She smiled back, and her playfulness quickly returned. “Oh, and for the record — your restaurant’s food isn’t that great. Next time, we’re going somewhere else, somewhere we won’t end up washing dishes, okay?”
I laughed, the sound echoing through the empty kitchen. “You got it.”
Here’s another story: At a family outing, my mother-in-law switched my mild chicken for an extra-spicy option, leaving me humiliated in a crowded restaurant. As my mouth burned and Linda smirked, I decided to plan a dinner that would teach her a lesson she’d never forget!
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
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