Old Lady Waits for Her Son to Visit Her, but He Only Does 20 Years Later — Story of the Day

A man started to have a recurring nightmare because he had not visited his old mother for more than 20 years — it changed his life.

Robert was a successful lawyer who resided in New York. He was an upstanding and ambitious man who sought to reach the highest tier of his career before retirement.

One night, he started having nightmares that changed the way he viewed things. In those nightmares, he was always walking through an enchanted forest followed closely by a dark shadow that haunted him.

He would walk as fast as he could, but the shadow, which belonged to a ghost, always seemed to be faster. At the exact moment it catches up, Robert wakes up, sweating as if he had just run a hundred miles.

Robert saw the same nightmare each time he closed his eyes to sleep, and eventually, it started to bother him. At some point, he started staying up late into the night just to avoid dreaming.

His body would sometimes betray him, and he would snooze off only to find himself once again walking away from the ghost.

Robert continued the act of staying up late until it started to interfere with his work. The lack of sleep affected his cognitive functions so much that he started losing a lot of cases.

The firm he worked for was one of the top-tier ones with an endless supply of people ready to take his place. His boss, Mr. Bennett, had already invited him to his office to talk about his disappointing performance.

"You're this close to getting fired," Bennett warned Robert. "Is there something going on?"

"No, sir, I will get my act together. It has just been a rough couple of weeks."

"Yes, I can see that, you look terrible and we're not paying you to look like that. Go home and get some sleep, you're free for the rest of the day. I expect you back at work sharp as a pin first thing Monday morning."

Robert knew Mr. Bennett meant what he said about him getting fired, which made him seek out a psychotherapist named Marsha in hopes she could help him discover the root of his problem.

The session started off smoothly with Robert revealing the details of his calamity, but then he suddenly fell asleep.

"Robert? Robert, are you okay?" The therapist asked.

It was not until she stepped closer to him that she realized he had fallen asleep. She also noticed that he was murmuring something, so she recorded all he was saying with her tape recorder.

She left him to sleep for a few hours while she sat down to decipher what he was saying in his sleep. What she found out was shocking.

When she woke him up, he apologized for zoning out so suddenly and blamed it on his lack of sleep.

"When did you last see your mother?" Marsha asked him.

"A long time ago, why?"

"What happened between you two?" she inquired.

"Well, after my father died, she became very clingy with me. She did not let me go anywhere and constantly demanded my attention. After college, I moved to New York and stopped communicating with her."

"Oh Robert," Marsha sighed. "You need to visit your mother as soon as possible."

Robert really didn't think it was a good idea because, in his heart, he saw his mother as a toxic woman. But upon Marsha's insistence, he packed up some things and returned to his hometown in Louisiana.

When he arrived home, he noticed how decrepit the house looked. His mother used to care for her potted hydrangeas like children, but now they were all wilted. The lawn was in terrible shape as well, and the house looked like it could use a huge paint job.

Robert stood before the living room door for long moments debating whether to knock or simply enter. But that decision was made for him when he heard a weak female voice calling for help from inside the house.

"Mandy, help me!" it said.

Robert hurriedly opened the door and headed inside, making a beeline for his mother's room. When he set eyes on her, his heart broke. She was almost blind.

"Who is there?" she asked.

"It's me, Mom, Robert."

"Son! It has been so long!" she cried, taking his head into her shaky hands. "Why have you abandoned me?"

"Oh mom, I didn't abandon you, I love you. I just needed some space but I'm back now," a crying Robert said.

That day, he had a heart-to-heart discussion with his mother. Something that had never happened in the past because she had not been willing to listen to him.

The next time Robert left New York, he took his mom along with him. Upon their arrival, he got her admitted to the best clinic he could afford.

Over the months, her eyesight improved, and her flagging health improved. As for Robert's nightmares, those stopped the same night he made things right with his mother.

What did we learn from this story?

• Learn to listen. Robert's mother was always imposing her demands on him with no regard for what he desired. She never listened to what he had to say but kept him close enough for when she needed something. When he'd had enough, Robert left and vowed never to return. That could have been avoided if his mother had given him a chance to express himself and air his views.
• Don't be afraid to seek help. When Robert was threatened at work, he knew he had to find a solution to his sleeping problem, seeking official help from a therapist. Her advice was what finally helped him break free from what was troubling him. She would not have been able to do that if Robert had chosen to keep his problems to himself.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a brother who kicked his sister out of their house after their parents died, but then karma hit him hard.

This account is inspired by our reader's story but written by a professional writer. All names have been changed to protect identities and ensure privacy. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.