Every Day Woman Sees Old Man with Boy on the Shore, Once They Don’t Show Up and She Gets Worried — Story of the Day

Tiffany used to see old Mr. Johnson and his grandson, Harry, near the beach daily, but she noticed they weren't there one day. It went on for days, and she wondered why they stopped coming to the shore. She decided to visit them and found out something shocking.

Tiffany Massey was single, reserved, ambitious, and awkwardly honest. She lived alone in a house her parents had left her, and she never missed anything on her daily schedule, which included evening jogs by the beach near her house in Maine, where she'd only relocated to last year.

She didn't love the place, but she enjoyed the beach and jogging around it in the evenings. And it was during one of those evenings that she noticed Mr. Johnson and his grandson, Harry. She'd never forget their first meeting.

Mr. Johnson and Harry had a dog named Max, and Max despised Tiffany! He almost bit her one day if it hadn't been for little Harry. "Stop now, or you won't get any food tonight!" he yelled at the dog from a distance, and Tiffany was mystified how the small child had managed to stop the dog from afar. Then she realized he was his pet dog.

"Max didn't mean it," Harry said, running up to her. "He just doesn't like strangers! You should stay away from him! I'll go now. Grandpa's waiting for me!"

"Where have they gone? Did they relocate somewhere?" Tiffany was curious.

"Well, kid..." Before Tiffany could say anything, the boy and the dog ran up to Mr. Johnson.

"Wow! An apology would have been nice," she muttered to herself and jogged away.

Days later, she was jogging along the beach again when Max began following her. He started barking again, and she had to alter her route to escape him. This happened every time she went for a jog — Max would either follow her or bark at her and Tiffany had had enough of him!

One day, Tiffany went for her usual jog around the shore, but she didn't see Max. She was happy that he wasn't following her and harassing her anymore. However, after a few days, she understood that it wasn't just Max who was missing, but also Harry and Mr. Johnson. They stopped coming to the beach.

"Where have they gone? Did they relocate somewhere?" Tiffany was curious, so she asked some neighbors where they lived and decided to pay them a visit.

When she got to their home, she noticed that it was surrounded by social workers and cops. Some people were talking incoherently about Harry and Mr. Johnson, from which she discovered that Mr. Johnson had been sick for several days and had been brought to a hospital the day before after suffering a heart attack.

It turned out Mr. Johnson was unable to care for his grandson, and Harry's parents had died a long time before, so social services were taking him to an orphanage. She realized that if that happened, Max would very certainly be transferred to an animal shelter, and while she didn't particularly like him, she felt bad for Harry and Mr. Johnson, who would be separated from their pet dog.

Besides that, she was an orphan, and she knew that growing up in an orphanage wasn't ideal. She noticed Harry sitting on the stairs of his house, his eyes sorrowful and in anguish. She was worried about him too.

Tiffany couldn't sleep that night. Her thoughts returned to Harry and Mr. Johnson every time she closed her eyes. She knew she had to do something, so she asked Mr. Johnson's neighbors where he was taken. She paid him a visit and obtained the address of the orphanage Harry had been taken to, assuring him that she would return his grandson to him soon.

"Thank you," Mr. Johnson whispered, his eyes welling up. "Harry is my only one, and he means a lot to me. But why are you helping us?"

"I am an orphan, Mr. Johnson. I felt sorry for Harry, and I don't want him to grow up in an orphanage since I know how awful that is! I'll get him back at whatever cost!"

Tiffany approached the orphanage director and conveyed her desire to take the boy with her, but they declined. Getting Harry out of there was a challenge for her. She had to contact the members of social services who had placed the youngster there, and she could only bring Harry with her after days of document filing and ID verification.

Harry was thankful to her because he didn't want to be without his grandfather, but he was still unhappy. "Thank you for helping me," he said as they drove to her house. "But I miss Max. I want him to come back too."

Tiffany felt sorry for Harry, but she couldn't bring herself to take Max in. That dog hated her! Why would she help him? Then while visiting Mr. Johnson at the hospital one day, she overheard a conversation that changed her mind.

"Grandpa!" Harry cried. "If Tiffany can help us, why can't she help Max? I know he doesn't like her, but I miss him too much!"

"She has done more than enough for us, Harry. That is something we should be grateful for. Let us not put any strain on her. I'll get Max back once I'm discharged...Oh, how I miss him. When your father brought him home, he adored him. He reminds me a lot of your father!"

Tiffany was right outside the ward, and she heard everything. She felt terrible that she was keeping Harry and Mr. Johnson away from Max just because she didn't like the dog. So she made a shocking decision that day.

She luckily had the phone number of the social worker in charge of Harry's case, and she prepared a small surprise for Harry and Mr. Johnson.

A week later…

Mr. Johnson was finally released from the hospital. His doctor, however, had informed Tiffany that he would require a wheelchair for the remainder of his life and would need special care.

When Tiffany went to see him at the hospital that day, Harry ran up to him. "Grandpa! You won't believe what Tiffany did!" he exclaimed cheerfully. "Someone is waiting to meet you!"

Tiffany walked into his room, followed by Max. The moment Max saw Mr. Johnson, he climbed into his wheelchair and began licking his face. "Oh my goodness! Max! Thank you very much, Tiffany! I know you don't get along with him, but you got him back! It must have been hard for you!"

"Not really," she replied flatly, her awkwardly honest nature overpowering her. "I just had to reach out to the social service officers to learn about Max's shelter, then had to hit my head several times with the people at his shelter before asking the hospital officials for special authorization to bring him here. God knows how I'd deal with him for the rest of my life!"

"For the rest of your life?"

"I'd like to make you an offer, Mr. Johnson. I'm not going to beat around the bush. Well…I am an orphan, and I've never been one to mingle with strangers, but I really loved my time with Harry and you. I was just wondering if you wanted to move in with me. You, Harry, and, well, Max too. And you need someone to look after you."

"Oh," Mr. Johnson cried. "Thank you! We would love to! You've been so kind to us."

"Well, Mr. Johnson…" Tiffany was cut off by a voice.

"And there's something more I'd like to ask you, Miss Massey," it said.

Tiffany, Mr. Johnson, and Harry turned around to discover Mr. Johnson's doctor, Dr. Simon Miles, standing there. "Would you like to join me for a coffee once you finish here?"

"Excuse me...what?"

"Well, I was hoping to get to know you better, you know...like to have a guardian-doctor talk...to make sure I can trust you with Mr. Johnson!" he continued, awkwardly running his hands over his hair.

Tiffany could see where he was going and she blushed. "I'm sorry, I'm busy! And I can assure you, Mr. Johnson is safe with me!"

"What about the weekend?"

"Umm...busy! I have to look after Mr. Johnson and Harry."

"What about the next weekend?"

"Sorry. Busy."

At this point, Mr. Johnson spoke up. "Pardon me, children. I suppose Mr. Johnson can look after himself for a little longer, allowing you two to proceed with your plans. Max and Harry will be my responsibility until then. All okay, boys?"

"Of course, Grandpa! Max, we'll have fun!"

"But Mr. Johnson…" Tiffany was cut off again.

"No excuses, Tiffany. You need some time for yourself. Come on, don't disappoint me. You are better than this!"

Finally, Tiffany went out with Dr. Miles, and well, it turned out to be a turning point for her. Dr. Miles wasn't witty and was quite boring, yet she fell in love with him. Perhaps because he was just like her – hardworking and dedicated, and he enjoyed spending time with Mr. Johnson, Harry, and Max.

Tiffany married Dr. Miles a year later, and there were two best men at their wedding. The first was Harry, and the second was Max, who didn't love Tiffany but had become close to her and had stopped barking at her.

What can we learn from this story?

• If you open your heart to others, you will always receive love in return. Tiffany, who was always reserved, opened her heart to aid a grandfather and his grandson, and they became a family.
• Being surrounded by people who care about you gives your life purpose. Tiffany was completely alone after her parents died, focusing solely on her work. But after meeting Mr. Johnson and Harry, her life took a turn for the better.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a man who mocks a little boy reading aloud on a plane until he learns the heartbreaking reason for his behavior.

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.