Woman Accidentally Sees Old Lady’s Plea for Help, Arrives at Her Home and Finds Her on the Floor — Story of the Day

After her divorce from her infidel husband, Laura White relocated to Brooklyn to start over and recently moved to a new home in a less known neighborhood. Then one day, she chanced upon a letter from Betty Foster, inside which was a strange plea for help.

Laura was about to leave for work when she discovered the envelope on her porch. She found it odd that because she had no living relatives who would send her something. But then her thoughts shifted to the notion that it may be something related to the divorce settlement, so she picked up the envelope to see what it was and noticed it was addressed to a woman named Katie Preston, not to her.

She thought the delivery guy had made a mistake in delivering the letter to her home and decided to look into it later, tucking it inside her purse. As she was getting into her car, she ran into her landlord and neighbor, Harry. "So, you all settled in?" he asked with a big grin on his face.

"Yeah, almost, Harry. I wanted to ask you something, by the way."

"Go ahead."

"I received a letter for a Katie Preston this morning. Do you know if somebody with that name lives in this area?"

"I'm in a dreadful state. I need help, but I don't know who to turn to."

"That's weird. Katie Preston is dead! She was my ex-tenant. Remember I told you my ex-tenant had passed away? It happened like two months ago. She was a volunteer…rich girl... did some sort of volunteer work for elders. I never actually understood why she was into helping the oldies. Her grandparents were loaded...left her a rich fortune after their death! She was raised in an orphanage, though, no parents. Grandparents passed away when she was young, and later her parents died in a house fire."

"What exactly happened to her? I mean, how did she die?"

"Got into a car crash on a highway…she was on her way back after meeting someone. Maybe the person who sent that letter doesn't know she died. And who writes letters these days?" he laughed mockingly. "Throw it away; it's useless."

"Ah well, thanks, Harry! I'll see you later. I gotta go to work," Laura replied, then settled in her car and drove away.

Back at her office, she couldn't stop thinking about the envelope. What if it was something important? Laura's mind was fixated on it, and at one point, she just opened it. Inside, she found a letter written in distorted yet beautiful writing, asking Katie for immediate help.

"Dear Katie,

I tried so many times to contact you, sweetheart, but my calls, emails, and messages all went unanswered. I'm writing this letter hoping you'll at least come to see me after reading this. I'm in a dreadful state. I need help, but I don't know who to turn to. No one listens to me. My neighbors only care about themselves. Please come as soon as you can. I will be waiting for you.

With love,

Betty Foster."

Laura covered her mouth in shock as she read the whole thing. Mrs. Foster needed help, urgent help, but Katie was no longer alive. Mrs. Foster obviously had no idea, and she'd written the letter in the hope that Katie would assist her.

Given the circumstances, Laura couldn't ignore Mrs. Foster's cry for assistance and decided to see her. She requested an emergency leave from her boss and decided to head to the address listed on the envelope in search of her.

She entered the address into Google Maps, and it turned out to be only a 30-minute drive away. Laura drove as fast as she could, and after half an hour – what seemed like an eternity – she arrived at a run-down old house. She walked up to the front door and knocked.

"Mrs. Foster? Are you home? I…umm… received the letter you sent for Katie," she called out. No answer.

She knocked again, this time a little more firmly, and the front door creaked open. When she stepped inside, a waft of mustiness hit her. Then she noticed her. Mrs. Foster was passed out just in front of the door, clutching a shopping bag in her hand, unconscious and pale.

"Good God!" Laura knelt to check her pulses. Fortunately, she was still alive! She dialed 911 and shortly after, Mrs. Foster was taken to the hospital.

Three hours later…

Mrs. Foster regained consciousness, but she was still in critical condition. The doctors informed Laura that she would be admitted to the hospital for a few days.

When Laura went to see her, the older woman couldn't stop crying. "Are you Laura White? The one who brought me here?" she asked, trembling.

"Yes, Mrs. Foster. Are you feeling better now? Doctors said you fainted from exhaustion."

"Oh, sweetheart." She began to cry. "I've been ill and fatigued for a long time. My knees gave up on me, so I haven't gone out in a while. I hadn't eaten in days and was quite tired, so I decided to go to the market, and then I don't remember what occurred after that. Did Katie send you?"

"Well, Mrs. Foster," Laura hesitated. "Katie is no more. She passed away two months ago in a car crash."

"Oh, that's dreadful. She was such a happy girl. She was my nurse for a while, but I later moved to a new house. Darling, I don't have any family. She reminded me of my granddaughter. Oh, how I miss her."

"I'm very sorry you're learning about her this way. I recently moved to her home. I, too, had no idea until I asked the landlord."

Mrs. Foster was devastated to discover that Katie had died. Laura consoled her and began visiting her at the hospital after work every day to keep her company.

Little by little, Mrs. Foster started to recover, and as she was about to be discharged from the hospital, Laura made her an offer. "Mrs. Foster," she said. "I was wondering if you'd like to move in with me. I'm not pressuring you, but you know, after I divorced my husband, I didn't really have anyone I could call a family. So I was just—"

"Oh," The elderly lady wrapped her arms around her. "Of course, sweetie, I would. Thank you for your concern. Thank you very much!"

Mrs. Foster sold her house and moved in with Laura. Later, Laura got married to a man named Dilan Stewart. He was a colleague of hers who worked in the marketing department. He was very sweet and charming, and Laura fell for him at first sight.

A year later, they welcomed a baby girl, and Mrs. Foster became her grandmother.

What can we learn from this story?

• Most of us find what we are looking for. Mrs. Foster's cry for help was eventually heard by someone who could assist her. It was Laura.
• You are never alone; someone is waiting for you, and you'll eventually find them. Mrs. Foster and Laura were fated to meet each other and alleviate each other's loneliness. That's exactly what happened.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a man who meets a strange girl at her doorstep, holding an envelope in her hands and claiming to be his daughter.

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.