John was a single parent who raised his two children, Anna and Harry, with love and care after his wife died when they were still young.
Unfortunately, as a grocery cashier, John didn’t make a huge living, and they sometimes had to live paycheck to paycheck. Nevertheless, he did his best for his children and provided a good life for them.
But when John’s old age approached, his children cornered him and then neglected him. They settled in his house with their families and kicked him out to live in their barn. John felt terrible about it, but there was very little he could do.
John was deeply hurt by how his children had cornered him. | Source: Pexels
One morning, John was sitting in the barn, looking through the family albums. He couldn’t hold back his tears as he reflected on how quickly time had passed and how his children had grown up and decided to cut him off.
He slowly brushed his tears away, hoping for a miracle to change his course of life. Suddenly, his phone rang. He picked up the phone to see who was calling and discovered it was an unknown number.
He answered the phone anyway since, apart from bank agents with loan and credit card proposals, he didn’t get many calls. He replied with a hello and heard a sweet voice on the other end of the line.
“Hi John,” she said. “I hope you’re doing well. It’s been quite some time, hasn’t it?”
John removed the phone from his ear and looked at the number again. He recognized neither the number nor the caller. How did she know his name?
“I’m afraid I don’t recognize you, miss. Who are you? Have we met before?” he asked, confused.
The woman’s unusual request perplexed John. | Source: Pexels
The girl laughed. “Of course, John! We have! And after everything you’ve done for me, I just have one more request. Would you walk me down the aisle?”
The request sent a shiver down John’s spine. Was this a prank call?
“Look, miss,” he replied. “I’m afraid you dialed the wrong number. Perhaps you were looking for some other John and not me. I’m sorry I can’t help you. Goodbye…” He was about to hang up when he heard a loud “Please.”
“Please, no!” she nearly screamed into the phone as John pressed the phone to his ear once again. “I didn’t dial the wrong number. How about we meet somewhere? Trust me; I can explain everything….”
The woman gave John the location of a restaurant and proposed a time for them to meet. Before she hung up, she said, “I’ll be waiting for you.”
John had never been more confused in his life, so he decided to meet her and find out how she knew him. Two days later, when he arrived at the location, he saw a young girl waiting for him at a table.
John decided to meet the woman and find out how she knew him. | Source: Pexels
John still didn’t recognize her, but when she spotted him, her eyes widened, and she smiled brightly as she waved her hand. As John sat at the table, he looked at her, confused.
“Do you recognize me now?” she asked happily, and John shook his head. “I’m afraid I don’t,” he said.
“I’m Clara, John!” the girl said, and something snapped in John’s head.
“You might be mad at me right now, but you will thank me one day, mom…”
“I was standing outside this restaurant a few months ago, pregnant, hungry, and tired,” she added. “I didn’t have a cent on me, but no one helped me except you, John. I hadn’t eaten in three days, and I thought I was going to die with the baby inside of me…” she confessed as she stroked her baby bump. “You saved us, John… You saved both my daughter and me!”
John now remembered everything. He’d met Clara a few months before. Her parents had kicked her out of the house as they were against her pregnancy. They didn’t want to support her, and she had no means to support herself after the baby’s father said he had nothing to do with her or the child. But things had changed drastically for her since then.
A few months ago, John came to the rescue of a pregnant Clara. | Source: Pexels
“I happened to get a job here as a waitress two months ago,” Clara added. “I also met my husband here. This place has always been very special to me, John. I wanted to see you again, and I found your contact in one of our records. I wouldn’t be able to see you like this if I told you everything in the phone call…I’m sorry if I freaked you out,” she added, curling her lips in a little smile.
John’s eyes welled up. “Oh!” he laughed. “This old age has really gotten to me! How could I not recognize you?… I am happy for you, darling. Did you decide on a name for your little angel?”
“Well, I’d be happy if you do that, John,” she added with a smile. “Graham and I would like you to be the baby’s godfather. He couldn’t make it today because he’s out of town…We sincerely hope you won’t say no….”
At this point, John burst into tears. Here was a stranger who treated him with the dignity he’d never gotten from his children. They never loved him, and then there was Clara, who wanted him not only to walk her down the aisle but also to be her child’s godfather.
John couldn’t keep his tears at bay at Clara’s proposal. “Oh, come here,” he whispered, hugging her. “I’d love to, darling. I’d love to…”
When he went home that day, John felt like he was the happiest person alive. Suddenly, he noticed his grandson, Adam, trying to build something out of wood.
Adam innocently taught Anne a lesson. | Source: Pexels
“What are you doing here, Adam?” he asked gently as Anne approached them.
“How many times do I have to tell you not to play here? Look at all that dirt on your clothes!” she yelled angrily.
But Adam had a big smile on his face. “You might be mad at me right now, but you will thank me one day, mom… I’m building a house for you to live in when you get old, just like Grandpa lives in our barn!”
As Adam said that, Anne’s face flushed in shame. She was so embarrassed that she couldn’t look into John’s eyes.
For John, though, it seemed as if God had answered his prayers and the miracle he had hoped for had happened. His children eventually apologized to him, and things between him and them improved.
He moved in with his children and no longer needed to live in the barn. Not to mention, he had formed a beautiful bond with Clara as her baby’s godfather and later had the honor of walking her down the aisle like a proud father.
What can we learn from this story?
- Our children learn from us and actively pick up our actions. Adam innocently called out Anna’s disrespectful behavior towards John when he said he was building a barn for her to live in when she got old. Anne had done the same thing to John by kicking him out of his house.
- Kindness is like a boomerang; it always comes back to you. John helped Clara when she didn’t have anyone by her side, and in return, he found a family in her when he was at the lowest in his life, feeling terrible about being neglected by his children.
If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a daughter who didn’t invite her poor father to her wedding but learned a harsh lesson when he surprisingly appeared in an expensive suit in a limo.
This account is inspired by our reader’s story and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.
