After Cecile’s husband, Henry, passes on, she seeks solace by moving into her son’s house. But when she gets there, her daughter-in-law makes her choose between their dark and unwelcoming basement and a nursing home. What happens when Cecile decides on another option altogether?
Losing a partner after forty years of marriage is traumatizing. Loneliness is felt immediately, but it becomes all the more consuming as time goes on. When Henry, my husband, died of a heart attack, I felt this sense of loneliness harder than anything else.
The grief took over, and all I wanted was to be around family. I have two sons, Jack and Edward – Edward moved to Oxford straight out of college because he was awarded the opportunity to further his studies. He calls me every evening just to chat about our days. Jack, on the other hand, lives not too far away from me. He is married to Lucy and has a son named after my husband.
So, now that I’m all alone in this big house Henry bought when we were just starting our family, I’ve been trying to decide whether to sell the house or live with Jack, as he offered, or move out by myself.I decided to try living with Jack. It would be the most comforting thing. But little did I know, Lucy had other plans for my accommodation. I asked my niece to pack up the place while I settled into my new home with Jack and his family. So, I was at their doorstep, suitcases at my feet
. Ready to take on the role of a live-in mother and grandmother — taking over the kitchen whenever Lucy needed me. Lucy came to open the door, a mug of coffee in her hand, and told me that their house was bursting at the seams with the limited space and that the only room available was Henry Jr.’s room. But she wasn’t about to upset the room and change it in any way. It was for Henry when he returned from his semester at college. I understood that. It was his space, and I didn’t want to be a burden.
But I had assumed that Jack would have sorted something out for me — he was the one who asked me to move in if I needed it. “Cecile, we’ve got a bit of a space issue, as you can see,” Lucy repeated. “You’ve got two options,” she continued. “There is the basement, or there’s a nursing home. Your call, grandma.” Talk about a rock and a hard place. Now, let me tell you about their basement.
It’s not the basement you may find in some homes — there’s no converted space for gaming, sewing, or arts and crafts. It’s not a den or cozy room for guests. Jack’s basement is more of a cold, humid dungeon with a bedframe that sighed at every move and a mattress with sharp springs. This was not the comfort I needed.”Lucy,” I said, shuffling my weight from one foot to the other.
“I appreciate the options, dear. But I’ll pass on the basement and nursing home combo.” Cue to my son — trying to play the peacemaker. He came up from behind Lucy, his arm around her waist. “Mom, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking when I invited you to stay. Lucy has a point. We’re tight on space. I promise to get some furniture for the basement to make it comfortable for you.” A basement life wasn’t for me. A nursing home wasn’t for me — at least not yet. So, I just took matters into my own hands.
I dragged my suitcases to the car and drove to my niece’s home. I stayed there for a week while looking for a place I could buy. The house was already on the market, and once it was sold, I knew I would have more than enough money to buy a small place for myself. When everything was settled, my niece helped me move in, and I felt empowered. Maybe I didn’t need family as much as I thought I did.
Edward was worried about me being alone, but I reassured him I would be fine. I moved into the new apartment soon after – a cozy one-bedroom, perfect for me and the cat I hoped to adopt. The bonus was that it came fully furnished, so I didn’t have to worry about anything.
Then, Jack phoned and asked me to dinner with him and Lucy. I drove to their home, wondering what they expected from me. We sat down for dinner, and I told them I had bought an apartment and lived there alone. “I thought you were staying with Mia,” Jack said, referring to my niece.”You can’t be serious!” Lucy exclaimed at the same time. “I did stay with Mia until I moved. I needed my own space.”
“You said that you want to be around family, so I offered,” Jack said, turning red. “Yes, but if it meant being shipped off to a nursing home or having to stay in your basement, I think I’m better off alone.” Then, I left. A few weeks later, I adopted my cat. But I also rewrote my will, leaving everything to Edward, who continues putting money into my account every month, even though I told them I didn’t need it.
“A son must help his Mom,” he said. He also asked me if I wanted to move abroad with him — but how could I? I needed to be close to where Henry rests, at least for now. So, from basement dilemmas to a cozy haven of my own, life certainly throws you for a loop. If your child gave you those options, what would you have done? Here’s another story for you: Elizabeth placed her father in a nursing home and never saw him again. She only visited him at his funeral. But the young woman’s karma caught up with her and taught her a harsh lesson when she received a letter from him after his death…
A woman discovered a wallet containing a letter from 60 years ago and decided to track down its owner
A woman came across a wallet while sweeping the street and decided to track its owner and return it. The events that followed were intriguing, to say the least.
Sandra was a young woman whose fate had never been on her side. She had been orphaned at a young age and had lost her family in a car accident, leaving her traumatized for a long time.
As time went on, she somehow sympathized with her destiny and started looking for means to support herself. But sadly, the only job that she could manage to get was that of a street sweeper. The job didn’t pay well, but she could at least afford a place to live and three meals a day.
As Sandra started cleaning the road one day, she saw a wallet lying at the edge of the road. Out of curiosity, she stopped sweeping and began investigating its contents. She discovered that the wallet was mostly empty, with only a few dollars and a letter that appeared to have been read several times a day for years.
On the torn envelope of the letter, everything was blurred out except for the return address. She cautiously opened it, taking care not to tear the delicate paper, and discovered that it had been written in 1959. A 60-year-old letter? It must have been quite special to the owner, she wondered.
Some words in the letter had faded, but Sandra could thankfully read most of it.
“Dear Lewis,” the letter began. “My mother forbade me to meet and said that you and I could not be together, but I want you to know that I love you. Love, Nancy Ar…” Unfortunately, the paper was torn at the edge, and Sandra could not read it.
Thinking that it was pretty special for its owner, Sandra decided to track him down and return it. She went to the phone exchange operator to inquire about the phone number indicated with the return address and was soon connected to someone who lived there.
“Hello, my name is Sandra. May I speak to Nancy?”
“I’m sorry but no one by the name of Nancy lives here,” the woman on the line replied.
“Actually, maybe you can help me. I found a wallet and wanted to return it to its owner. There was a letter inside the wallet and I got this phone number from the return address on the letter, so I assumed the person who wrote the letter lived there.” Sandra explained. “The woman’s name is Nancy.”
“Are you talking about Nancy Arnolds?” the woman inquired.
“Well, I’m not sure if her last name is Arnolds, but I think it’s her. Do you have her contact information or know where I might be able to find her?” Sandra inquired.
“Actually, we bought the house from her mother 20 years ago. She was staying at a nursing home then. If you want, I can give you the nursing home’s contact number; you can write it down.”
Sandra thanked the woman and immediately called the nursing home. There she was informed that Nancy’s mother had passed away, but her daughter was still alive and staying there.
Sandra quickly hired a cab and headed to the location. When she met Nancy and showed her the letter she had found, Nancy’s eyes welled up. “I can’t believe he has kept it safe until now. By the way, where did you find this?”
“Well, it was inside the wallet I found on the road. By any chance, do you recognize this?” Sandra showed the wallet.
“I don’t know about the wallet, but this letter, I wrote the letter for Lewis — Lewis Duncan,” Nancy said. “We met in college, and I wanted to marry him and start a family, but my mother was against it because, just like my father, Lewis was not well off. After my mom married my father, he began living off my mother’s wealth, and when mom objected, he threatened that he would harm me.”
“Mom resisted for a long time and then divorced him. Sadly, she never had a happy married life, and she feared the same would happen to me. As a result, she despised Lewis and my relationship. But if you find him, please let him know that I still love him and never married. I always hoped he’d come and find me, and I am still waiting.” Nancy burst into tears as she finished.
Sandra consoled her and promised she would find Lewis, but deep down, she was scared that wouldn’t happen. Nancy was the only way Sandra could contact him, but Nancy had no idea about him because she hadn’t seen him since she was transferred to the nursing home.
Dejected, Sandra left the nursing home and decided to drop the wallet at the police station, but as she stepped outside, the security guard interrupted her. “Are you Nancy’s relative?”
“No, actually…” Sandra began speaking when the guard interrupted her again. “Wait, isn’t that Mr. Duncan’s wallet?”
Sandra was taken aback. “Yes, it is! Do you know him?”
“Yes, he lives in the building next to the nursing home,” the guard replied. “The man is pretty old and keeps misplacing his wallet. Actually, don’t tell Nancy, but he frequently visits just to see her. That’s how I know him.”
Sandra’s happiness knew no bounds when she heard that, she went to Mr. Duncan and returned the wallet. He was glad that the letter was safe.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Duncan, but I read that letter,” Sandra admitted shyly. “And I have a question if you don’t mind me asking.”
Mr. Duncan smiled warmly at her. “Ask anything, young lady. You returned the most valuable item to me. I don’t mind if the wallet was lost, but the letter is very close to my heart.”
“Then why don’t you meet Miss Arnolds? The guard told me everything. She couldn’t stop crying when she saw the letter. Do you know that she never married and has been waiting for the day she’ll meet you again?”
Mr. Duncan’s eyes almost welled up. He said he was devastated when he received this letter and resolved that he would never marry anyone because he loved Nancy. However, he had no idea that Nancy wasn’t married either.
Sandra took him to her and left them alone for a while. They cried and hugged, and Sandra’s eyes welled up when she saw them like that. It brought back memories of how she and her husband Edward met. She sobbed as she walked out of the nursing home.
A year later, she received a wedding invitation. It was an invite to Nancy and Lewis’ wedding.
What can we learn from this story?
Matches are made in heaven. Nancy and Lewis were destined to be together, and that is exactly what happened.
Some accidents are beautiful. Sandra found the wallet accidentally and returned it to the owner. Eventually, it led to the reunion of two lovers.
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.
Leave a Reply