Elderly Man in Bus Hands Crying Woman Flowers, Then Goes to Cemetery and Vanishes — Story of the Day

Today's story is about a man who hands over the flowers he intended for his wife's grave to a crying woman and how she returns his generosity in a kind manner.

Michael and Adele had been happily married for 63 years when a terrible car accident separated them. It was a cold evening, and the couple was driving home from their granddaughter's birthday party when they were hit by a car coming from the opposite direction.

Michael was lucky enough to have survived the collision, but Adele left for her heavenly abode before she could even get to the hospital.

Michael was devastated after Adele left him, and since that fateful day, he has visited her every weekend. Every Sunday, the elderly man would get up at 8:00 a.m., dress up for a date with his beloved wife, buy her a bouquet of her favorite wildflowers, and walk to the nearest bus stop.

The man was in his late 80s, and ever since that tragic car accident, he had been unable to recover from the trauma preferring to take the bus to all of his destinations.

One day, while on the bus on his way to visit his wife, his attention was instantly drawn to a woman who was sobbing uncontrollably. She was in her mid-twenties and she reminded him of his daughter.

Out of concern, he decided to approach her. "Hey, are you okay?" he inquired gently.

Michael noticed her eyes were bright red as she looked up. She appeared upset, and the puffiness under her eyes suggested she had been crying a lot.

"Oh, no! I'm fine," she said quickly, wiping her tears away. Michael could tell something wasn't right by her distraught expression, so he inquired gently, "Do you mind if I take a seat here? I know it's none of my business, but talking about it may make you feel better."

The woman, teary-eyed, looked up at him and finally nodded. As Michael took a seat, he noticed she kept staring at the bouquet of flowers in his hands. "Do you like these flowers as well? These are my wife's favorite flowers. I'm meeting her today!"

Just then, the woman burst out crying once more. Perplexed at her reaction, Michael apologized. "I'm sorry, but did I say something wrong?"

"No, it's not your fault," the woman sobbed. "Actually, it's my birthday today. I wanted my husband to buy me a bouquet too, but he didn't have enough money for it. We're having a hard time financially, and things are just not right..."

Michael examined the bouquet in his hands. This was all they had at the florist, and no one else in the area had those flowers. Should I just give it to her? Maybe it will help her feel better. But Adele loves these flowers. He couldn't make up his mind.

The woman suddenly interrupted Michael's thoughts. "I'm sorry, I've been talking too much! Thank you for listening to me, though. I feel better."

"Oh, no, it's not a problem. I'm relieved you're feeling better."

"Those are really beautiful flowers, by the way," she added, pointing at the flowers in his hand.

"Actually, these flowers are for my date with my wife," Michael explained. "She left me a few years ago, but I go visit her at her grave every weekend. So it's almost like a date for me."

"I had no idea! I'm sorry for your loss!" the woman apologized. "However, I must say that she is indeed very lucky. Very few women are so fortunate to find such a devoted husband."

"Honestly, I consider myself more fortunate because I couldn't have found a better partner," Michael clarified. "Adele was my life. I couldn't believe it when she left me. Oh, I wish I could tell you the whole story about how we met, but it looks like we just arrived at my stop. I hope to see you again...Mrs..."

"Claire Duncan. You can call me Claire."

"Thank you for a wonderful time, Claire. It was a pleasure speaking with you. By the way, you can call me Mr. Collins," he said, smiling as he stood to leave. "Oh, and you know what, you can have these," he added, handing her the bouquet. "Have a wonderful day!"

"Oh, no, those are for your wife, I can't take them," Claire protested, but Michael persisted and eventually handed her the flowers.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Collins," Claire replied, smiling. "You're extremely generous!"

The man returned her smile and exited the bus. Claire looked out the window, hoping to see Michael again to wave him goodbye, but he was gone. It seemed like he had just vanished without a trace near the cemetery. He was here just now! Where did he even go? She was perplexed.

At home that night, Claire decided to meet Mr. Collins the following weekend to repay his generosity. So when Sunday rolled around, she baked him an apple pie and went out to buy a small plant to place near his wife's grave.

She went to the old cemetery and eventually found a grave with the surname Collins. This must be Mrs. Collins' final resting place, she thought.

Several hours had passed, but there was no sign of Mr. Collins. Claire decided to plant the flowering plant she bought and leave a note with her name and address so if the elderly man felt lonely, he could contact her and visit her one day.

It turns out Michael didn't show up that day because he was ill. For nearly a month, he was unable to visit his wife. But when he finally did, he was delighted to see flowers growing near her grave.

He thought it was a miracle that such lovely flowers grew near her grave, then he saw the letter Claire had left. He took out the note and started reading it.

"Hi, Mr. Collins," the letter began. "Thank you for the flowers you gave me that day. I wanted to meet you and thank you, but I'm guessing something kept you away. From now on, you don't have to worry about Mrs. Collins when you can't make it to your date. I've planted these near her so she'll always be surrounded by her favorite flowers and never feel lonely.

"I've left my contact information and address behind the note. Please come see us whenever you're feeling lonely. You're no less than a family to me. With love, Claire."

Michael's eyes welled up as he finished reading the letter. After spending time with Adele that day, he went straight to Claire's house.

From that day on, Michael had become a regular visitor at Claire's house. She and her husband Edward treated him no less than their father, and Michael enjoyed spending time with them and caring for their children.

What can we learn from this story?

• Kindness begets kindness. Micheal comforted Claire by giving he his wife's flowers, and in return, she planted a tiny flower garden for his wife and accepted him as a family.
• Little acts of kindness can sometimes put a smile on someone's face. The delight in Claire's face when she received the flowers from Micheal is a beautiful example of this.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a young woman who mocked her grandmother all her life but received an unexpected gift from her before she died.

This account is inspired by our reader's story and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. 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.