DLNews  Short story by JTFMax:

It was the last day of work for Jake, a delivery driver for Pizza Hut in Desert Hot Springs. Ever since dropping out of college, he had been working there for three years to help his mom pay the bills. He loved his job, even though it was hard and sometimes dangerous. He enjoyed driving around the city, listening to music, and meeting new people. He also liked his co-workers, who were like a second family.

But everything changed when California passed a law raising the minimum wage to $20 an hour by 2025. The law was meant to help workers like Jake, who struggled to make ends meet with the current $14 an hour. But it also had unintended consequences for the fast-food industry, which relied on low-wage labor to keep costs down and profits up.

Pizza Hut and other chains decided to cut costs by laying off thousands of delivery drivers across the state. They replaced them with self-driving cars, drones, and robots, which were cheaper and more efficient. Jake and his co-workers were given two weeks' notice and a severance package of $500.

Jake felt angry, betrayed, and hopeless. He didn't know what to do next. He had no savings, no skills, and no prospects. He wondered how he would support his mom, who had diabetes and needed medication. He wondered how he would pay his rent, car loan, and credit card bills. He wondered how he would survive in a world that didn't need him anymore.

He decided to spend his last day doing what he loved: delivering pizzas. He took his last order, a large pepperoni and cheese, and drove to the address. It was a nice house in a gated community with a manicured lawn and a swimming pool. He rang the doorbell and waited.

A woman opened the door. She was young, beautiful, and rich. She wore a designer dress and a diamond necklace. She smiled at Jake and took the pizza box from his hands.

"Thank you," she said. "How much do I owe you?"

Jake looked at the receipt. It was $15.99, plus tax and tip.

"Twenty dollars," he said.

The woman nodded and handed him a $20 bill. She didn't bother to ask for change.

"Keep the change," she said. "Merry Christmas."

She closed the door and left Jake standing on the porch. He looked at the $20 bill in his hand. It was the exact amount he would have made in an hour if he still had a job. He felt a surge of emotion. He wanted to cry, to scream, to punch something. He tried to tell the woman how unfair it was, how hard it was, how much it hurt.

But he didn't. He just turned around and walked back to his car. He got in and drove away. He didn't look back.