Son Puts Mother in Nursing Home, Returns Home and Finds His Suitcases on the Doorstep — Story of the Day

Joe returns home with his fiancée after leaving his mother in a nursing home, only to be met with a surprising sight. His suitcases are lined up on the doorstep, and a new family is moving into his house. Joe's mother had tricked him, but he soon realized she had done it to save him from a hidden danger.

"You did the right thing," Joe's fiancée grinned as she stroked his belly. "Your mom will have a better life in the nursing home...and we can turn her old crafts room into a lovely nursery for our baby."

Joe nodded. If only Mom had seen what a kind heart Emily was. But old age and illness had taken its toll on her, and he had no choice but to decide what was best for Mom.

Just as Joe parked outside Mom's house, he noticed some strangers carrying furniture into the house while two little girls were playing on the lawn.

"What the heck is going on over here?" Joe tensed up as he exited the car and jogged to the porch. "Hey, who are you...and what are you doing in my house?" he waved at a man.

"You must be Joe!" the man replied. "I knew you would come. By the way, this isn't your house anymore! Your mom sold it to us. Here are the papers...and there's your stuff."

Joe's jaw dropped. Emily sneered as she angrily grabbed the paper from the man's hand. Joe watched Emily's face turn red while she scanned the paperwork.

Her expression said it all — Mom had indeed sold the house. Joe was shattered and thought Emily would comfort him in this weakest moment. But she yanked his hand and turned around to leave.

"You fool!" Emily yelled. "Your mother tricked you right under your nose...and you had no clue? Everything is ruined now."

"Emily...don't say that. I don't understand why Mom did this. But we still have each other. We can..."

"There's no more WE, you loser! Forget about me," Emily pulled the ring from her finger and hurled it to the ground.

Emily's words hit Joe like a bag of bricks, and he ran after her, pleading. "Wait...what about our baby?"

Emily laughed at him. "You're so stupid! There's no baby. Now get out of my way."

"Wha—what do you mean? Emily...Emily? Stop...." Joe called out. But Emily stormed out of the gate and out of his life.

Confused and heartbroken, Joe sat on the porch, and that's when he noticed an envelope tucked beneath a cardboard box. He pulled it out and found a letter in Mom's cursive handwriting.

"Dear Joe,

I'm sorry this happened. I wish I never had to take such drastic steps. But you left me with no other choice. It all started the day you first brought Emily home...

A few weeks ago...

Nora was resting in her armchair, smiling politely while she tried to process the news of Joe's sudden serious love affair with Emily, who was seated beside him on the couch.

"...Joe is so funny...and charming," Emily chuckled. "I couldn't say no when he first asked me on a date to the funfair."

"It's been just three weeks...but it feels like we've known each other for ages. That's why I insisted Emily move in with me," Joe looked at Nora, his eyes beaming with delight.

Joe's words shocked Nora, triggering a coughing fit. It took her minutes to compose herself and lean back in her chair, her oxygen mask pressed to her face.

"I'm sorry if this has come as a shock, Mom," Joe rubbed Nora's shoulder. "Things might seem sudden...but trust me...Emily is the one for me. We're soulmates!"

Nora turned to Emily and patted her hand. "Emily, darling, if you don't mind, can you please make me some tea, dear? The warmth soothes my throat. The kitchen is that way..."

Emily nodded, and just as she left the room, Nora looked Joe in the eye. "Isn't she the best, Mom?" he whispered.

"She seems like a lovely girl. But don't you think you're taking things a bit fast, Joey?"

"Mom, I understand your concerns. I didn't want to tell you everything because of your health. But you deserve to know...I'm planning to propose to Emily this weekend."

Nora's face grew pale. "This weekend? But...it's too soon..."

"Mom, relax. You're the one who taught me to fight for love. That's what you and Dad did when you eloped, right?"

"But, Joey, that and this are entirely different."

"Mom, I love Emily. I can't live without her. Please trust me... she will be a great wife and a wonderful daughter-in-law."

Joe's hasty decision to take things ahead with Emily in such a short time gnawed at Nora's peace. But she couldn't do much to convince him to change his mind and agreed.

Emily moved in the next day, and Nora was surprised by how much they had in common. She and Emily spent their first day knitting together and chatting.

Later, they watched a TV documentary with Joe, and the day ended pleasantly for Nora as she curled up in her bed and went to sleep, only to wake up with a start at midnight. She had forgotten to take her pills.

Nora tiptoed to the kitchen and drank her pills. Just as she made her way back to her bedroom, she heard Emily's hushed voice coming out of the guest bathroom in the hallway.

"That old crone and her oxygen machine..." Nora heard Emily say. "...she is such a thorn in my way...but Joe is madly hooked on me. So I should be able to get rid of her soon."

Nora froze in disbelief. Her son's seemingly 'perfect' wife-to-be was talking horribly about her. And how on earth was Emily planning to get rid of her?

"Just a lil sweet talk, and he should agree to stick his mother in a nursing home. Then, I'll kick him out, and this house will be mine!" Emily added, giving Nora goosebumps.

Nora headed to Joe's room to warn his fiancée was a gold digger. But she stopped, realizing he would never believe her.

Haunted by thoughts, Nora retreated to her bedroom and spent a sleepless night thinking about how to save her son.

As days passed, Nora desperately hoped for Emily to slip up and expose her true nature. But that moment never came. Then one day, Joe approached her and told her they needed to talk.

"It's about Emily..." Joe said.

"Oh, dear, I'm so sorry things didn't work out between you two..."

But Joe frowned. "What? Things are great between Emily and me, Mom. I've never been happier."

"No...I just thought..." Emily stuttered.

"Actually, Mom..." Joe swallowed hard. "...Emily's been running her own business while working through the temp agency. She needs help with buying more machinery. But she can't afford it right now. So I'd like to help her...but there's only one way to get the money I need."

Dread formed a tight knot in Nora's gut. "What is it, Joe?"

"Mom, you know...your health isn't improving. I think you need a better place where you're cared for well...I think it's time you moved into a nursing home."

"Mom, it'll be comfortable there," Joe added as he squeezed Nora's hands. "...and if you agree to sell your house, I can put that money in Emily's business. I promise to repurchase this property as soon as we see a return on the investment."

It felt like she had been struck by a thunderbolt, and tears sprang into her eyes. "I don't want to leave...my home," Nora gasped.

"Mom, I'm just trying to look out for you. Please..." Joe pleaded.

Heartbroken and having realized Emily was pulling Joe's puppet strings from behind the scenes, Nora disappointedly nodded.

"I'll think about it, Joey. Just give me some time," she said.

Nora had no intention of going to the nursing home, but she now knew she'd bought herself more time to expose Emily.

The next day, while knitting, Nora heard the front door creak. She peeped out of the window and saw Emily slipping out. It was strange because Emily hadn't told Nora she was going out.

Although Nora didn't often drive anymore, she set off after Emily and followed her to a café downtown.

Nora parked across the street and watched Emily approaching a man at the entrance. Moments later, Nora spotted them at a table by the window. Her heart leaped in her chest when she watched Emily and the stranger passionately kissing each other.

Gasping in disbelief, Nora pulled out her phone and rang Joe.

"Joey, I'm sorry for bothering you at work...but this is important. Can you meet me outside the café on the corner of 3rd Street?"

Nora then started recording Emily and her lover through the window. But they had finished kissing and were just holding hands.

"Mom? What's going on?" Joe hurried towards her ten minutes later.

"Look there, Joey," Nora pointed toward the café window. "Emily is cheating on you."

Joe turned to the window, and the sight drove him mad. Clenching his fist, he stormed to the café as Nora followed.

"What the heck is going on here??" Joe slammed the table, startling Emily and her lover. "How long have you been seeing this chump behind my back?"

"What?? You think I'm cheating on you? How could you, Joe?" Emily rose with a start.

"I saw you kissing," Nora interrupted.

"God...he's my cousin! It was just a peck on the lips. I grew up in New York, and that's how we always greeted family."

"Your cousin? And why haven't I heard of him?" Joe frowned.

"Because...I've worked really hard to be where I am now. I didn't want you to know my family's background, Joe. If you still don't believe me, I'll prove how much I love you."

Emily wiped her tears and pulled out a positive pregnancy test from her bag.

"I wanted to surprise you. You're going to be a Daddy, Joe!"

Joe's anger faded, and he swept Emily into his arms while Nora watched in utter shock. "Snap out of it, Joe. She's lying. She's a gold digger."

"Stop it, Mom!" Joe's cold voice cut through Nora's pleas. "Why are you hellbent on proving her evil all the time? She's only ever been kind to you."

"What? I'm not lying...I saw them kissing. Nobody kisses their cousin like that."

"Baby, it's okay. Don't be hard on her," Emily held Joe's hand. "It's not her fault...remember I told you? She's getting confused."

"Confused? Don't you dare give me that! What other lies did this viper whisper to you, Joe?" Nora fumed.

"Mom, I think we should discuss this at home," Joe frowned as he stormed to his car.

"...part of why I pushed you so hard to get you into a nursing home," Joe explained to Nora. "...you need proper care, Mom. You're confused and have started showing signs of senility. I love you...and I only want the best for you."

Nora was heartbroken. Anything she said or did now to expose Emily's forgery would be brushed aside as part of her supposed senility. How could Joe turn out to be such a gullible fool?

Nora was cornered but not defeated. She hated to do this, but it was her only chance to protect her son from Emily's evil scheme. She agreed to go to the nursing home and sell her house. But deep down, Nora was plotting a way to outwit Emily.

Present day...

"...I only wished the best for you, son. I hope you've now realized I was telling you the truth all along."

Tears gushed into Joe's eyes as he read the final words of Mom's letter. Guilt consumed his heart. "I've been such an idiot!" he cried.

Joe rose from the porch and hurried to the nursing home to meet his mother.

"I'm here to see my mother, Mrs. Brady," he told the receptionist.

"Thank Goodness you're here," she exclaimed. "We've been trying to reach you for the past half hour. Your mother had respiratory failure and had to be hospitalized."

Joe didn't wait to hear the rest. He bolted outside and sped to the hospital. After what seemed like an eternity, his mother's doctor exited the emergency room.

"How is she doing, doc?" Joe approached the doctor. "When can I see her?"

"I'm sorry, Joe...but your mother...she didn't make it."

"What? But her condition was under control, doctor...how did this...God...how did this happen?" Joe cried.

"She was stable, but her health started to give in recently. I thought you knew...I advised a more aggressive treatment plan during her last check-up. But she never showed up after that."

Joe sank into a chair, and tears endlessly flowed down his cheeks. Suddenly, his phone vibrated in his pocket, snapping him out of grief. He noticed a string of missed calls from the nursing home and a text message from his bank.

As it turned out, Mom had transferred $500,000 to his account. It had to be the money she received from selling her treasured house.

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