John Frederick sat alone on a bench, gazing thoughtfully at the street. His upcoming birthday brought no joy; the man realized that in his old age, he was utterly alone.
He had no one and nothing: no family, no home, having spent the last few months drifting at his cousin Nancy’s place.
The small house was located near a railway station, constantly trembling from the rumble of passing trains. But just yesterday, his cousin announced she was selling the house to move in with her daughter.
— You understand, John, they’re offering good money for it. I took you in as long as I could, but don’t hold it against me now.
And so, John sat watching the fading sunset, pondering when his life had gone off track. The new week promised nothing but nights at the train station or in alleyways.
How quickly life has passed, and the sooner it ends, the better, John Frederick thought, remembering his wife, Lucy. They had lived in harmony, supporting each other in everything. Soon after, they had a son, and five years later, a daughter.
The family lived modestly but happily.
One winter, John was driving home in his battered car when he noticed tire tracks veering off a slope.
It was getting cold, the sky turning gray, but despite his exhaustion after a long workday, he couldn’t drive past. Following the tracks, he found an expensive foreign car crashed into a tree. The car wasn’t badly damaged, the impact seemed minor, but the man behind the wheel was unconscious.
There were no visible injuries, so John carefully pulled the man from the car and drove him to the hospital.
The doctors said the man showed early signs of frostbite and would have frozen to death. John left his phone number and address, arranging for a tractor driver to tow the car to his house to prevent looting or theft.
A week later, the rescued man showed up at their home. He was a successful businessman, Alexander Nicholas Carter, who had come from New York on business. He thanked John for saving his life and asked him to keep the car, promising to handle all the paperwork.
— But the car’s practically fine, just a few scratches! — John protested.
Alexander smiled and handed John a hefty stack of bills.
— Thank you for my life.
— No need for that, really. Anyone would’ve done the same. I just wanted to help.
— And I’m just doing this. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here.
Alexander left, and John couldn’t wrap his head around the sudden gift.
With care and love, John repaired the car and proudly drove his family around.
As it often happens, the children grew up and left the nest. First, Liam moved out, staying on a ship after his navy service. He wrote letters but never promised to visit, citing his duties.
Then their daughter, Olivia, left home. Unlike her older brother, she visited often at first but later disappeared.
The parents missed their children in the empty house, but what could they do? One day during lunch, the phone rang. Lucy picked it up and nearly dropped it.
— John, listen… I don’t understand, I don’t understand anything.
— Hello!
The voice on the other end said that their daughter Olivia’s son had been placed in an orphanage. The boy was three years old. Before putting him up for adoption, they decided to contact relatives.
— We’ll come, we’ll take him, do you hear? We’ll be there soon. Just give us the address and the list of documents.
And so, the grandparents began raising their grandson, who looked exactly like his mother. The orphanage said an elderly woman had brought the child, handed over the documents, and said Olivia had asked her to look after the boy before vanishing.
Their son rarely called, but he was thrilled that his nephew was now with his parents. Liam himself had moved abroad and had no plans to return.
One day, entering the house, John saw his wife kneeling by the couch, clutching the blanket for support.
— Lucy, — he rushed to her, — what’s wrong? What happened?
But Lucy only looked at him, gasping for air like a fish out of water. John carried her to the car, pushing the foreign car to its limits until the engine overheated, stopping only in the hospital’s parking lot. But it was too late…
The doctors couldn’t save his beloved. She passed away the next day. John buried her himself, without telling the children.
Nick grew up polite and obedient. Left alone with his grandfather, he tried to help in every way. After high school, he joined the army to figure out what to do with his life.
In the middle of the night, a phone call woke John in his empty house. A captain reported that Nicholas had been seriously injured during training, and relatives needed to come.
No one explained how it happened or what exactly occurred, but it was clear that an expensive surgery and many medications were needed.
— You’ll get compensation, don’t worry, but that’ll take time. We can’t waste any.
Without hesitation, John sold the house. His grandson’s life was saved, and he was recovering in a sanatorium, but John became homeless.
In the morning, the man resolved to visit his hometown, to see his wife’s grave, seek her advice, and ask her to take him in.
— Lucy, you understand, — John began, — I’m tired. So tired. I have no one to live for, no one needs me. Take me soon, alright?
The next morning, after packing his things and saying goodbye to his cousin, John Frederick stepped into the yard and heard a painfully familiar honk. It couldn’t be. It must be a mistake. His foreign car, with its burned-out engine, was left gathering dust in the garage of the sold house, but this one looked brand new.
The car stopped by the gate, and the passenger door swung open. Nick was smiling.
— Happy birthday, Grandpa! Hop in, they’re waiting for you!
— My dear boy! How’s your health? Have they discharged you? — the grandfather exclaimed.
— I’m doing great, thanks to you and my fiancée. Meet Sarah, the nurse who nursed me back to health. I owe her my life, so I’m paying her back by marrying her.
A tall, attractive young woman stepped out of the car with a huge bouquet and handed it to the old man.
— Thank you for your grandson, — she said.
John Frederick teared up.
— Nice to meet you, thank you, granddaughter. But where did you get this car?
— Come on, Grandpa, it’s yours, don’t you remember? I asked the guys to fix it up—look, it’s like new! Get in, let’s go home!
— Nick, we don’t have a home anymore… I sold it.
His grandson insistently seated him behind the wheel.
— Let’s go home.
John barely recognized the house. A new roof, an asphalt driveway, a gazebo, and a well-kept lawn. His son, Liam, came out to meet him and hugged him tightly.
— Happy birthday, Dad! Did you think we’d leave you without a home? We bought it back and fixed it up a bit. And we’ve got another surprise for you, look!
A young woman in a wheelchair was coming down the path. It was Olivia, just as John remembered her: fragile, with delicate features and a radiant smile.
— Olivia was in an accident and was in a coma for a long time, — Liam explained. — I managed to send her abroad for treatment. I married her doctor. Meet my wife, Alicia, Dad. She saved Olivia when all the other doctors gave up. Don’t worry, Olivia’s walking again; she’s just tired, so she’s using the wheelchair.
— My dear children, am I dreaming? Why didn’t you tell me anything before?
— We were afraid you’d worry, but trust me, I always had everything under control. And we put up a new headstone for Mom; we’ll visit her later. But now, let’s celebrate! We didn’t prepare all this food for nothing!
Late that evening, John sat with his family by the fireplace, listening to his children’s stories. He learned that Olivia had married poorly and fled while pregnant, but her ex-husband didn’t forgive her and tracked her down with her new partner. When the young couple was driving, a massive SUV rammed them into a ravine at full speed. Olivia survived but spent a long time in a coma, while her partner died on the spot. When she woke up, she immediately called her brother, who helped her.
— My dear children, forgive me for losing hope. I didn’t know it could be like this.
— You and Mom raised us, — Liam said. — How could we ever abandon you?
Five years later, Liam, Olivia, and Alicia were living abroad again.
Olivia relearned to walk and started working at the embassy as a Russian language teacher, preparing to get married.
Nick and Sarah lived with John Frederick in his large, beautiful house, where the grandfather happily looked after his great-grandchildren. Every weekend, they went fishing.
Just the other day, Liam sent them a new inflatable boat, and Sarah smiled as she watched the men eagerly await the weekend to try it out.
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