Michelle, 80, who uses a wheelchair, always feared that her sons, Simon and Kevin, would one day send her to a nursing home. However, her children promised her they wouldn’t. “We would never do that to you, Mom,” they assured her.
Unfortunately, those promises fell to dust two days before the naive old mother’s 81st birthday, when her sons showed her some paperwork about a nursing home. And so the world suddenly crumbled beneath her feet…
“But Simon, why should I move there?” the shocked old mother asked her older son.
“Kevin, are you in on this too? You both promised you would never do this to me!”.
But her sons didn’t listen to her. She begged them to let her stay, even though the house belonged to her dead husband who had willed it to her. But, Simon and Kevin were blinded by their material desires and ignored their mother’s pleas and tears.
“Look, Mom,” Simon smiled. “We know this is your home, but you can’t stay here by yourself. You know it’s hard for us to visit you every week. We’ve already made arrangements with the nursing home, and you’ll be better cared for there. We will visit you once a month, okay?”.
“Visit me? I’m not just anyone. I’m your mother!”, poor Michelle screamed.
She felt defeated. She looked around, haunted by the beautiful memories of her family once united under this roof. With a heavy heart, she packed her things and prepared to move into the nursing home, much to the delight of her children.
Two days later, Michelle was taken to a nursing home in Pittsburgh, about 30 miles from her home. She was devastated, and what tormented her deeply was the knowledge that Simon and Kevin were planning to sell her beloved home to buy new cars and jewelry for their wives.
“You’re going to sell my house?” asked Michelle, with tears in her eyes. “But you told me you would take care of it when you asked me to sign the papers.”
“Oh, Mom! Can you please stop talking about this house? Yes, we told you we would take care of it, but we have other things to deal with too. We’re selling it, okay?”, Kevin frowned.
Poor Michelle was even more distraught, imagining that her beloved property would soon be sold. She moved into the retirement home and wouldn’t look back at her sons. She was so hurt and felt abandoned by her children. Yet she had raised them with all her heart and soul.
About a week later, Brad Perkins, Simon’s 27-year-old son, is back home. After majoring in architecture, he moved to New York City to work. He was transferred to a regional branch in his hometown and is thrilled to be back with his family.
During a family dinner, Brad noticed that his grandmother was not there. Curious, he asked his father and uncle where she was.
“You told me that Grandma stayed with us every Tuesday and Wednesday. But I don’t see her here today. It’s Tuesday, right?” he asked. “Where is she?”
Simon and Kevin were a little surprised and speechless. They hadn’t said anything to Brad.
“What’s the matter, Dad? Uncle Kevin, what’s going on? Where’s Grandma? Hold on, I’ll call her.”
Brad called Michelle’s number, but it was off.
“Weird. Grandma never turns off her phone. I’ll call the landline,” he muttered as he called the landline, but it was already cut off.
“Dad…Uncle Kevin…What’s going on? Are you going to tell me, or should I go check?”.
Unable to keep the truth straight, Simon revealed Michelle’s location to his son.
“She said she didn’t want to be a burden to us…that’s why we were forced to leave her there”.
“You left Grandma in a nursing home?” exploded Brad. “What a lack of compassion and nastiness on your part! I am so ashamed of you! Grandma would never have left that house because it was the gift Grandpa left her!”.
Brad stormed out of the house and drove to meet Michelle.
“Grandma, I’m so sorry about what happened to you!” he cried after seeing Michelle at the nursing home. “I can’t leave you here like this.”
Although Michelle was angry and upset about her children, she knew her grandson was innocent, and she cried when she saw him. Brad was so angry at his father and uncle, and he promised Michelle that he would soon make everything right.
“But how are you going to do that?” the grandmother wondered. “Your father and uncle are stubborn and have already sold the house…. “. I’ve already accepted my fate, sweetheart. It doesn’t matter. And I’m glad to have at least one person who cares about me.”
But Brad was determined. After comforting his grandmother, he immediately set out to find the man who had bought his grandmother’s house.
“You want to buy this house back???” exclaimed the shocked new owner, Alfred Turne, after Brad offered to buy it. “For your information, I bought it for $238,000 and spent $20,000 on renovations and repairs.”
Brad was determined to buy the house at any cost. He offered Alfred the sum of $300,000 for the house.
“300 000 $… I will pay you $300,000 for this house. I just want it back. Please, Mr. Turner. Try to understand me,” he negotiated.
Alfred agreed, and the deal was done. Now all Brad had to do was plan the surprise.
Over two weeks later, Brad paid the full amount and got his grandmother’s house back. He was lucky to buy it back in time because Alfred had planned to rent it out and move to his hometown in Denver.
Later that evening, Brad visited his grandmother at the nursing home and asked her to pack. The old lady was confused and had no idea where he was going to take her. Deep down, she hoped he wouldn’t take her to his house, or to his sons. She never wanted to see them again.
“You’ll find out, Grandma,” Brad said as he drove up the road to Michelle’s house.
“This road leads to my house,” she exclaimed. “But why are we going there? That house isn’t mine anymore.”
Brad remained silent and just smiled, eager to see his grandmother’s reaction later.
Moments later, they pulled up in front of Michelle’s house, and she couldn’t hold back her tears. She looked at her house in surprise as Brad helped her into her wheelchair.
Michelle felt like she was from a time long ago as she arrived on her doorstep. As she was drowning in memories, Brad picked her up and gave her the house keys and a note.
“What’s going on?” Michelle bawled. “Oh, dear… Is it really possible? Did you buy this house? Are these the keys to my house? Oh, my God… tell me I’m not dreaming.”
Michelle was even more upset when she read the note:
“Grandma, I wouldn’t be here with you today if you hadn’t made so many sacrifices to raise my father and uncle. Unfortunately, they never got to be good sons. But I promise to be a good grandson and I will do everything I can to see that smile on your face. I will never let anyone take away your memories. This house is all yours! I love you, Brad.”
Tears of joy streamed down Michelle’s face as she hugged Brad, grateful to have a grandson like him. Brad was also moved to tears. He told her that the house belonged only to her.
“I renovated it to look exactly like you left it, Grandma,” he said. “Grandpa’s pictures and your favorite houseplants by your chair are right where you left them.”
It was the best day of Michelle’s life. She ran her hands over the smooth walls of her house and ran through every nook and cranny crying. To top it off, Brad moved in with her because he wanted to make sure his dad and uncle never bothered his beloved grandma again.
Simon and Kevin later apologized to their mother, but the pain they inflicted on her was deeper than their regrets. Michelle refused to talk to them, saying that only time would heal everything.
As for Brad, he cut ties with his father and uncle. He was determined to treat them like they had treated his poor grandmother and never forgave them. He even wanted to sue them, but gave up on that idea after Michelle told him not to, knowing that not having contact with them would hurt even more. In the end, he became a sort of protective barrier around his beloved grandmother until his last breath!
