Adam didn’t visit his mother for years, neglecting her after he started having a life of his own. One day, he had to pick up some documents from her home, only to find the home destroyed and abandoned.
Diana Evans raised her son Adam alone. Although she struggled, she worked very hard to feed him and pay for his education. After graduating from high school, he decided to attend a university halfway across the country.
Although Diana was sad, she happily sent Adam off to study and live in New York while she remained in California. They would keep in touch during his first few years there, and he would call his mother whenever he had time.
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Diana never got to visit Adam in New York throughout his years in college. Their primary mode of communication was through phone calls, and although these started to lessen as time passed, Diana still appreciated them very much.
When Adam was set to graduate from university, he called his mom to invite her over. “Hey, mom!” he said on the phone.
“Hi Adam, it’s so great to hear from you! How have you been?” she said excitedly.
“I’m good, mom! I’m calling because I’m finally graduating in two weeks. Will you be able to come over?” he asked.
Hearing that, Diana was so proud and could feel her tears coming. She’d do anything to see her precious son march to get his diploma. “Of course, Adam. I’ll be there. I wouldn’t miss it! I’m so proud of you!” She smiled.
After ending the call, Diana proceeded to look for flights to New York. She was surprised to see how expensive the flights were, and she immediately realized she didn’t have enough money to purchase a round-trip ticket and a special graduation gift for Adam.
She decided to take in some extra work as a babysitter to earn money. She babysat for long hours to earn her money faster. When she had enough savings, she excitedly purchased her ticket and went to the department store to buy Adam a gift.
Diana circled the store for a couple of minutes before settling with a watch. She realized that any professional needed a nice and decent watch, so she wanted to give one to her son.
“Please wrap it nicely with a ribbon,” she told the saleslady. “It’s a graduation gift for my son. He’s graduating from a top university in New York!” she gushed.
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“That’s awesome! You must be so proud. Congratulations!” the saleslady said, packing the watch.
A couple of days later, Diana excitedly made her way to New York. Adam picked her up from the airport, and together they drove to his campus, where the graduation ceremony would start shortly.
Diana excitedly pulled out her cellphone and started to snap pictures. When it was Adam’s turn to receive his diploma, she couldn’t help but stand and cheer her heart out. “That’s my son!” she exclaimed.
After the ceremony, Adam met Diana and enveloped her in a hug. “Oh, son, congratulations!” she said as they embraced.
“Thanks, mom. This is all because of you,” he smiled. “Let’s have a good dinner now,” he said, walking with his mom towards the university exit.
Adam and Diana ate at a fancy New York steak restaurant and had a nice dinner together. At first, Diana was worried about the bill, until Adam told her not to. “I took a part-time job while studying, mom. This is my treat to you. Thank you for taking care of me all these years,” he said, squeezing her hand.
Diana was in tears. She was so grateful that Adam grew up to be such a kind gentleman. “I’m proud of you, son,” she said. “I got you something, too. It’s nothing great, but I hope you like it.”
She took out the gift box and handed it to Adam. “You really didn’t have to get me anything, mom,” he said as he opened it.
When he saw that it was a watch, he was surprised. “This is beautiful, mom. Thank you,” he said with a big smile on his face. “I’m going to wear this to work every day. That way, I’ll always have you with me.”
That night, the mother and son spent the night talking to one another, taking photos, and simply enjoying New York’s sights.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
After a couple more days in New York, Diana had to fly back to California. “Will you be visiting home soon, Adam?” she asked, suddenly remembering that she was back to living alone.
“I’ll try, mom. I do have some job interviews lined up, so I’m not sure when I’ll get to. I promise to call, though,” he assured her. With that, Diana nodded contently.
Unfortunately, that promise was short-lived. Adam used to call his mom every other day, but that slowly diminished until the calls just stopped coming.
During one of their final calls, Diana showed signs of depression caused by her loneliness. “I’ve lost a lot of weight, and I don’t really have an appetite,” she would share.
“You should eat, mom. Go out and talk to your neighbors and take walks in the park,” Adam said, shrugging off the signs she’d share.
For years, Adam would check on his mother once in a while but he was busy working in Wall Street and maintaining his relationship with his model girlfriend that these calls became too few.
One day, he decided to put up his own firm in New York. For that, he needed documents from California which he couldn’t ask his mom to simply mail. So at the last minute, he took a flight back home and traveled to their house without telling his mom. But when he got there, he was not expecting what he saw.
Their house was torn down and filled with cobwebs. The fences were on the floor, and the grass lawn looked as if it hadn’t been trimmed in years. He looked inside and saw the house empty save for some ruined furniture.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
Adam proceeded to call his mother, but she was not answering, so he walked to the next-door neighbor’s house to ask him what happened.
“Hi, Mr. Green,” he said as soon as their long-time neighbor answered the door.
“Adam? Is that you?” he asked. “What are you doing here?”
“It’s me, Mr. Green. Where’s mom? What happened to our house?” he said, feeling both guilty and scared.
“Oh, well, remember that storm that hit California a couple of months ago? Our homes were severely damaged. Your mom didn’t have enough money to repair it, and she said she didn’t want to burden you, so she moved to a nursing home,” Mr. Green explained.
“What? Why don’t I know any of this?” Adam said, shocked. “Where is her nursing home?” he asked.
After getting the address, he quickly made his way there. When he arrived, he saw Diana, frail and in a wheelchair. “Mom,” he said, in tears, as soon as he saw her.
“Adam? What are you doing here?” Diana asked.
“Mom, I’m so sorry for not paying more attention to you. I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you needed me the most,” he said, on his knees in front of his mom’s wheelchair. He was sobbing, feeling guilty for having neglected his mother for years.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
“Adam, don’t be ridiculous. Get up from there,” she said, trying to raise her son. He shook his head and clung to her knees, and Diana couldn’t help but cry. She thought she would never see Adam again, and seeing him there, in the flesh, asking for forgiveness, made her feel both touched and relieved.
“I’m so sorry, mom. You don’t have to be alone ever again,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m going to live with you, and I’m going to take care of you,” he promised.
This time, Adam really kept his promise. He completely repaired their old home and took his mother out of the nursing home once it was completed. He also decided to start his business in California instead of New York and asked his girlfriend to move in with them.
Since then, the three of them lived together happily. The couple took care of Diana and made sure she was happy again. Meanwhile, Diana helped out at home while both Adam and his girlfriend worked, by cooking them meals and helping out with house chores.
What can we learn from this story?
- We should always make time for our loved ones. No matter how busy life gets, we should always take time to check on our loved ones no matter how far away they may be.
- A mother’s love is forever. Although she felt sad and abandoned, Diana never lost her love for Adam. Instead, she remained hopeful that one day they would reunite and see each other again.
Share this story with your loved ones. It might inspire them and make their day.
If you liked this story, you might like this one about a woman who had to flee her home after it burned down, only to see a brand new structure built on her lot a couple of months after.
As I was about to drive my wife in labor to the hospital, I received a call saying my mother was passing away
Just as my wife’s water broke, I got a call from my mother’s nurse, and she told me my mom was dying. I was torn and forced to make a difficult decision.
The day Debra found out she was pregnant was one of those days that I will cherish for the rest of my life. We had cried together, unable to believe that we were going to have a baby home soon, and I promised Debra I’d be an amazing dad.
Debra and I had waited to become parents for a long time. We were one of those miracle couples who conceived after going through tons of failed fertility treatments and doctors telling us there was no chance.
“We’ll be the best parents to him, darling,” I told Debra one night. “I can’t wait to hold our baby in my arms.”
“I know, honey,” she’d said, smiling. I gently kissed her baby bump and promised Debra I’d always be by her side.
Debra had always been very anxious about the pregnancy due to the complications, and I had told her I would be there for her, so there was no need to worry.
Little did I know fate would plunge me into a situation where I’d have to choose between her and my mom while was in labor…
I still get chills when I recall that day. It started as a beautiful day. The sun was shining brightly, and nothing seemed wrong with the outside world. I was preparing breakfast in the kitchen because Debra wasn’t feeling well that morning.
I quickly assembled a breakfast plate for her, and I went to call her for breakfast. As I entered our bedroom, I saw she was leaning against the wall with one hand, clutching her baby bump and breathing heavily.
“Honey, are you okay?” I dashed to her, worried. “Should I call the doctor?”
“Gordon…my water…it…it broke,” she whispered heavily, and that’s when I noticed the floor beneath her. It was wet. “Take me to the hospital, Gordon…Please!” she cried.
“Jesus!” I panicked. “I’ll get the car started. Just hang on a sec, honey.”
I ran to our car, grabbing the keys from the bowl on the living room shelf. I opened the car door, then rushed back inside to help Debra.
“Don’t worry, honey. We’ll reach the hospital in no time. Okay, we’ve got this.” I was comforting her as her labor pains began. I was terrified and nervous. I was praying everything would be fine.
After we made it to the car and Debra got inside, I locked her door and rushed to take my seat. Then my phone rang. It was my mom’s nurse, Marla, calling me. My mother had been diagnosed with a progressive cardiac condition, and due to her illness, she was confined to bed rest.
Worried, I answered the phone, and Marla’s voice on the other end of the line broke me from inside.
“Gordon,” she said in a weak voice. “Your mom… She had a heart attack, so I took her to the hospital. The doctors say there is little hope she’ll make it… Your mother is dying. I think you should be here as soon as you can.”
“Jesus, Jesus!” I exhaled a sigh. Why was everything happening at the same time? I was ripped to shreds and didn’t know what to do. On the one hand, there was Debra, who was in labor, and on the other, there was my mother.
I went inside the car, tears in my eyes, and told Debra everything. I couldn’t hide it from her, anyway. She saw my face and asked me what was wrong. And I blurted everything out.
“Mom is dying, honey. She had a heart attack, and Marla’s asking me to be there as soon as possible. I am so nervous. I – I don’t know what to do….”
“Honey,” Debra said. “Call a taxi. I’ll go by myself…”
“What?” I was taken aback. “No, we can’t do that!”. She was drenched in sweat and moaning in pain. “Look at you. It’s just not….”
“We don’t have time, honey…Ahh…call the taxi now, Gordon. Your mom needs you. You are a son first, then a husband. I will manage. Your mom…she…” Her pain was becoming worse.
“I’m calling the taxi. Oh, God!”
Thankfully, I got a taxi soon, and I instructed the driver to take Debra to the hospital safely. My hands shook as I drove to my mother’s hospital, and my tears wouldn’t stop. My heart was racing, wondering about Debra’s condition and if our baby would be alright.
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