“I don’t care what you brought! I don’t want you here right now. Leave right away! You’ll meet Hans another day, okay? Just go!” he demanded, looking over his shoulder as if worried someone would see them. He opened the door, went back inside, and slammed the door in her face, leaving her standing outside with her things.
Amelia was stunned. Tears welled up in her eyes. He didn’t even ask if she was okay, despite her telling him about the five – hour walk. He knew she had trouble getting around.
Not wanting to cause more trouble, she turned to leave. Then she remembered the bag in her hand. She decided to leave it outside the door, hoping he’d find it later.
Amelia started the long walk home, bracing herself for the tiring journey. Thankfully, her neighbor, Mrs. Cassavetes, saw her and gave her a lift in her old car. When she got home, her legs gave out as soon as she closed the front door. She collapsed on the couch and noticed that her legs were swollen.
After a bit of rest, she managed to get up, fetch some ice, and take a painkiller. In the end, she had to sleep on the sofa because her bedroom seemed too far to reach.
That night, Mark said goodbye to his guests, waving to them from the front door. It had been a busy day with lots of visitors, and finally, it was over. He hunched his shoulders, thinking about how he’d treated his mother earlier.
Guilt washed over him as he thought about his mother walking all that way. But then he shook his head, trying to convince himself it wasn’t his fault.
“She shouldn’t have done that,” he muttered to himself. As he turned around, he spotted the bag on the floor. He picked it up and saw the tag that read, “From Grandma.”
Mark bit his lip, imagining his mother leaving the bag there and making her way back home. He opened the bag and was hit with a wave of nostalgia. Inside were his old childhood toys. They’d never had many possessions, but these toys had always meant the world to him. They still did. He couldn’t hold back his tears.
Camilla saw him outside and grew worried. “What’s wrong, honey?”
“I was awful to my mother,” he sobbed, and his wife hugged him. He spilled the beans about everything he’d done, including how he’d distanced himself from his family because they were poor and he was ashamed. “I can’t believe how terrible I was to her!”
After Camilla comforted him, Mark decided to drive to his mother’s house right away to apologize. He still had the keys to her house for emergencies. When he arrived, he decided not to ring the doorbell and just let himself in. What he saw broke his heart: his mother passed out on the couch with cold compresses on her legs.
“Mom,” he whispered, gently waking her up.
“Mark, why are you here?” she mumbled, trying to get up, but he stopped her.
“Don’t move,” he said, lifting her up as if she weighed nothing and carrying her to her bedroom. He added more ice to the cold compresses and helped her apply them to her swollen legs. He made her something to eat, and they sipped tea together. Then he apologized for his behavior and told her the truth.
Thankfully, Amelia was the kindest person. “I had a feeling you were ashamed, but I’m glad you came to apologize right away. That’s what I taught you. When you make a mistake, you fix it,” Amelia said, comforting him. Mark cried in her arms for a while.
He stayed with her all night, and fortunately, her legs improved significantly. The next morning, they decided to go to his house so she could finally meet her grandson, Hans.
Camilla also apologized. She’d had no idea what Mark had done, but she realized she should have questioned why Amelia wasn’t there. They spent a wonderful day together, and Amelia shared a wealth of baby – care advice with Camilla.
Eventually, Mark asked his mother to move in with them. They had a big house, and he didn’t want her to be all alone, living so far away.
What can we learn from this story?
Never be ashamed of your parents. Mark was embarrassed about his background and tried to hide it from Camilla’s family, which ended up hurting his mother. He deeply regretted it later. It’s always best to make amends when you realize you’ve made a mistake. Mark immediately tried to fix things after understanding how horribly he’d treated his mother. Luckily, she forgave him quickly.
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and give them something to think about.