Rich School Boy Notices His Teacher Visits Abandoned House after Class and Decides to Follow Her – Story of the Day

A rich boy starts following his teacher after school and sees her go to a homeless man in an abandoned house. What she discovers about him changes his life.

Sometimes Justin Greenwood found life very confusing. Life is supposed to be confusing when you're thirteen, but for Justin, it was even more so because of his grandmother, Eve.

Eve had been raising Justin for the last two years ever since his parents had died in a helicopter crash, and she was doing the best she could. Thankfully, the Greenwood family was very wealthy so money was not an issue -- but values were.

Eve wanted her grandson to be aware that he was privileged and had a lot more than other children and she wanted him to be humble, charitable, and kind. But she also forbade him from befriending children who were poor, or whose parents didn't have the right 'pedigree.'

Yes, life WAS confusing for Justin, especially because his parents had been the nicest, easiest people alive and had made no distinction between rich or poor, or what people did or where they came from.

Eve had enrolled Justin in the very same school his parents had attended -- they had met in first grade -- a very exclusive and expensive school that catered to the children of the very rich.

Children are not guilty of mistakes made by their families, but they sometimes help put things right.

The board gave out several scholarships a year to children who couldn't afford the tuition but were so brilliant that they would be a credit to the school. Eve did not approve. "Oil and water don't mix!" she'd say crossly.

Eve complained bitterly to the board of the school about the 'low element' among the scholarship students. But since some of the board members had once been scholarship students themselves, they didn't agree.

So Justin was going to school with some of these undesirables and was under strict orders from his grandmother not to 'mix' with them under any circumstances.

This became even more difficult when Eve decided that it was time Justin started becoming more independent. She decreed that the chauffeur would stop driving the boy to school -- Justin was to take the school bus.

On the bus, Justin ended up sitting next to many of these 'undesirables' and discovered that many of them were very pleasant, nice kids. Eve didn't know about this, or she would have put a stop to the bus rides.

It was that year that Justin realized how obsessed his grandmother was with status and it all started when he saw Miss Watkins, his English teacher, on his way home from school.

Justin had just gotten off the bus and was about to walk the two blocks home when he saw his English teacher, Miss Watkins, walk into an old boarded-up house. The house had once been a gracious Victorian mansion, but now it had long been abandoned.

Justin was particularly fond of Miss Watkins who had been at school with his parents and would sometimes talk about them. What could Miss Watkins be doing going into an abandoned house?

She could be in danger, Justin thought, and so he decided to follow her in to make sure she was safe. Justin crept in behind his teacher, quiet as a mouse, and heard her talking to someone in one of the back rooms.

He peeked in and saw her pouring hot soup out of a thermos into a mug and handing it to a thin older man with trembling hands. Miss Watkins wrapped a blanket around the man's shoulders.

"You should let me take you home!" Justin heard her say.

"No, my dear," the man said in a soft voice. "You do too much already..."

Justin crept away, and he started watching for Miss Watkins after school. Hardly a day went by that she didn't visit the old house so the old man must be very important to her.

Then, one afternoon, just before the final bell, the director came into class and told Miss Watkins that he needed her to come to an urgent after-school meeting.

"I can't!" gasped Miss Watkins.

"I'm sorry, Miss Watkins," the director said firmly. "Every member of staff MUST be present. No exceptions!"

Immediately, Justin knew that Miss Watkins was thinking about the mysterious man in the old abandoned house. If Miss Watkins didn't come, he'd have nothing to eat.

Justin crossed the street to the deli across from the school and bought a couple of sandwiches and a carton of milk before he boarded the bus. He got off the bus as usual, but instead of going home, he went into the abandoned house.

"Hello?" he called. "Is anybody here? I'm here for Miss Watkins..."

The thin man appeared in one of the doorways. He was looking a little better, but still far from healthy. "Hello," he said. "Who are you?"

"I'm Justin Greenwood," he said. "Miss Watkins is my teacher, and unfortunately, she had to attend an emergency staff meeting. So... I brought you some food and some milk."

The man smiled. "Hello Justin, my name is Kyle Borden," he said. "That's very kind and very thoughtful of you."

Justin took the sandwiches and the milk out of his backpack. "I got you cheese and ham because I think everyone likes cheese and ham," he said. "And some milk because it's good for you..."

"Thank you, Justin," Kyle said. "Cheese and ham are my favorites, and I love milk!"

Justin was delighted and grinned. "Mine too!" he cried. "When my parents were alive, we always toasted our sandwiches on the fireplace and it was so cool. Gran won't let me do that in her house. She says it's barbaric."

"Wait a minute..." Kyle said. "We have a fireplace right here, and if you help me light the fire, I'll get us some forks and we'll toast the sandwiches."

"But I got them for you!" Justin protested.

"Things always taste better when they are shared," Kyle said with a wink.

"That is EXACTLY what my mom used to say!" Justin gasped.

The two toasted their sandwiches in the old fireplace and burnt their fingers, but both agreed that those were the best cheese and ham sandwiches ever.

When Miss Watkins arrived much later, Justin was long gone, but Kyle was sitting by the fire smiling. "Oh, Kyle," gasped Miss Watkins. "I'm so sorry I'm late..."

"That's alright," he smiled. "One of your pupils dropped by and brought me some sandwiches. He told me you had an emergency meeting."

"A pupil?" asked Miss Watkins, amazed. "Which one?"

"Justin," said Kyle. "A very bright and kind-hearted boy."

"Oh my God, Kyle!" cried Miss Watkins. "Do you know who he is? He is Eve Greenwood's grandson!"

Kyle shook his head. "No," he said. "He is Evan and Linda's boy, and a wonderful person in his own right."

"But what if he tells her?" asked Miss Watkins. "She could still make trouble for you!"

"I'm more worried about you," Kyle frowned. "If she discovers you are helping me, she might take it out on you."

"I'll talk to Justin," Miss Watkins said. "As soon as I have a chance."

But the next day, Justin was at the old house before Miss Watkins. He had enjoyed his visit to Kyle immensely and he wanted to know more about the mysterious man.

He'd come bearing a new lot of cheese and ham sandwiches and chocolate milk. When Miss Watkins arrived a half-hour later, she found them happily toasting the sandwiches in the fireplace.

"Justin!" gasped Miss Watkins. "You shouldn't be here! I need to talk to you about this."

"Why?" asked Justin, bewildered. "Is something wrong? Kyle is a good guy!"

Miss Watkins sat down in an old chair. "I know Kyle is a good guy, Justin," she said. "When I was your age, Mr. Borden was MY English teacher."

Justin turned to Kyle. "Wow!" he cried. "Did you know my mom and dad too?"

"I did," Kyle said gently. "They were among my favorite students."

"The thing is, Justin," Miss Watkins said nervously. "Your grandmother must not know about Mr. Borden..."

Justin frowned in confusion. "Why?" he asked.

Kyle was shaking his head. "Leave it, Stella," he said to Miss Watkins. "That is ancient history and the boy doesn't need to know..."

But Miss Watkins shook her head stubbornly. "I don't agree with hiding the truth from children, Kyle," she said. "The truth is, Justin, Mr. Borden's views on life are very different from your grandmother's.

"Your grandmother was upset when she learned that your father, your mother, and I were best friends. You see, I was a scholarship student and she thought I was beneath them.

"So she came to the school and she talked to Mr. Borden who was our homeroom teacher and told him to discourage our friendship, keep me away from your parents."

"I refused!" Kyle interrupted. "Stella was one of the nicest and brightest students I ever had and I told Mrs. Greenwood so."

Miss Watkins' eyes filled with tears. "Yes, you did. You were the first person to ever stand up for me in my life!" she said, then she turned to Justin. "But defending me cost Mr. Borden dearly."

"Your grandmother went to the school director and made some very vague allegations of inappropriate behavior against me," Kyle explained. "It wasn't an accusation that I could have refuted, it was just a hint -- enough to lead the school to terminate my contract.

"The worse was to come. When I applied for jobs elsewhere, I was always refused. The rumors and innuendos followed me and destroyed my career, my life. I couldn't get a job doing what I loved the most..."

Miss Watkins gave Kyle a comforting hug and he continued with his story. "It's a long and slippery slope that leads to homelessness, Justin, and I won't go into more details. After 20 years, here I am, alone and friendless, except for Miss Watkins. What we wanted to ask you is that you don't mention me to your grandmother. I'm afraid she might...not like it."

Justin was sobbing. "She did that?" he asked. "But my mom and dad...They would have defended Mr. Borden!"

Miss Watkins explained, "They never knew. Neither did I. I only found out the truth years later. But I can tell you that Mr. Borden was as big an influence in their lives as he was in mine."

That night, Justin confronted his grandmother. "How can you always tell me that we should be just and generous to those who have less than us and do what you did to Kyle Borden?" he cried.

"What?" gasped Eve, dropping her teacup. "Where did you hear that?"

"It doesn't matter, grandma!" Justin cried. "What matters is, are you going to BE honest like you are always telling me we should be, or are you going to lie?"

Eve flushed. "I did what I thought was best. The man was a bad influence..." she said.

"You lied!" Justin gasped. "You made people believe he'd done something bad but you never came out and accused him so he couldn't defend himself! You ruined his life!

"And you know what? The girl you thought wasn't good enough to be my father's friend is my favorite teacher and the best person I know, so you were WRONG, gran!

"And Mr. Borden? Everything my parents taught me about being kind and loving and treating people right? They learned from HIM, not you! I'm ashamed of you!"

Eve was horrified and ashamed by how her grandson saw her. She went to the school and admitted that she'd acted wrongly and cast a shadow on a good man's reputation. In order to make reparations, she founded and financed a brand new library for the school, and Mr. Borden was put in charge. In addition to a new job, Eve found him a lovely apartment to live in.

With Justin's assistance, Eve also created and endowed two new scholarships for poor but worthy pupils in his parents' name. A legacy they would have loved.

What can we learn from this story?

• Children are not guilty of mistakes made by their families, but they sometimes help put things right. Justin faced down his grandmother and made her see the truth and help Mr. Borden.
• Good always defeats evil. Eve's sly innuendo destroyed Kyle's life, but Justin's good, brave heart defeated her malice.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a young boy who draws a portrait of the mother who abandoned him when he was very young and goes looking for her.

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