Son Sends Old Mom to Nursing Home in Cab With Young Driver, Kicks Himself in Envy Days Later — Story of the Day

A son decided to kick his elderly mother out of her own house one day, forcing her to live in a nursing home. A cab driver came to pick her up, and her interaction with the driver changed her son's life forever.

Jack was sick of taking care of his mother, Annabel, as she was getting old and needed more attention. He was about to ask his girlfriend to marry him, so he didn't want the added responsibility of taking care of his mom, and he wanted to have her house to himself, too.

One day, his mother accidentally dropped a teacup filled with hot tea on the floor. Jack was furious, and he used it as an excuse to finally do what he'd always wanted to do – kick her out of her own home.

"I can't deal with you anymore, mom! I already have so many things on my plate!" he yelled.

Annabel's heart sank. She didn't want to be a burden to her son. She quickly apologized, hoping to make Jack feel better. "I'm sorry, son. The cup slipped from my hands. I'll clean it up, don't worry about it," she told him.

Still, Jack refused to calm down. He insisted that his mother needed help and that it would be better for her to live in a nursing home.

"Is that what you want, son?" Annabel asked. Although she was sad, she wanted to make his life easier. If it meant not living together anymore, she would accept it.

"YES!" he yelled before leaving the room.

Annabel wept, accepting her fate. It scared her to live with strangers, and she feared she would not be able to see her son again.

The following day, Jack informed her of her new home by handing her a flyer. "This is where you'll be living," he told her casually. "I have work, so I won't be able to drive you there. I called a cab to take you instead," he said.

Annabel sighed and nodded her head. "That's alright, son. Will you visit me? Please tell me you'll visit often," she pleaded.

Jack shrugged. "I'll try my best to visit. I have so many things to do nowadays, but I guess I could squeeze some time in," he replied.

“Are you going to take me to the nursing home?” Annabel asked her son.

Jack shook his head. “I have a lot of work to do here at home. I called you a cab,” he replied.

Annabel sighed. She dragged her small suitcase towards the front door while Jack worked on something in the living room. Jack had enlisted the help of Tom, a taxi driver whose details he found online. He asked Tom to pick his mother up, and Tom happily obliged.

When Tom arrived at the address, he noticed that the home looked old and eerily quiet. He walked towards the front door and knocked. "Hello, Tom here. I was hired to drive you to a nursing home," he called out.

After a couple of seconds, Tom heard a weak voice of an older woman coming from inside. "Just a minute, please," she said before opening the door.

“Jack, I’m off now. Goodbye, son. I love you,” she said, tears filling her eyes. Jack walked towards the door as he heard this and waved goodbye.

Annabel opened the door wearing an old, worn-out coat and a hat, dragging her small suitcase along. "Hello, dear," she greeted Tom.

"Good morning, ma'am, let me take that for you," Tom said, taking her suitcase. He extended one arm towards Annabel to guide her to the cab.

"Thank you. You are so kind and graceful," Annabel told him. Tom smiled and shook his head.

"It's nothing. I try to treat my elderly passengers the way I wished my mom was treated," he replied.

Annabel's heart melted as she heard this, and she remembered her son, who wanted nothing to do with her. "That is very sweet," she told Tom. "Your mother is fortunate to have you. You are a good person."

Jack watched as the young driver helped his mother enter the car. A part of him felt guilty for kicking his mother out, but his selfish desires outweighed his guilt.

The driver shut the car door, and Jack got one last glimpse of his mother through the car window before they drove away.

Annabel handed Tom the flyer about the nursing home. He instantly recognized the address, saying it was where his late mother used to live.

"Ah, this place brings back some bad memories," he admitted. "My only regret in life is sending my mother to a nursing home," Tom added. "I just can't forgive myself for leaving her there."

Annabel couldn't say the same for her son, as she was sure Jack was glad to get rid of her. She sighed as they traveled down the road.

"Tom, dear," Annabel suddenly said. "Do you mind taking a detour by driving downtown?"

Tom was confused, as this would make the trip a lot longer. "We might be caught in some traffic if we head downtown," he said.

Annabel shrugged. "I'm in no rush to get to the nursing home. My son kicked me out of the house, and I'm about to be sent to a place filled with strangers for the rest of my life. This might be my last taste of freedom," she admitted sadly.

Tom noticed that Annabel had tears in her eyes, and he instantly felt bad for her. He agreed to take her downtown where she showed him all the places that were once important to her.

Annabel pointed at the building where she worked as a secretary, the first house she and her husband lived in, the church where she got married, and many other sights that meant a lot to her. "You see that warehouse down the street? That used to be a ballroom. I used to go dancing there in my teenage years," she giggled.

After an hour of driving around, the old lady sighed. "I guess that's it. I'm pretty tired. We should get going," she told Tom. He could feel Annabel's sadness and wished he could do something about it.

When they arrived at the nursing home, two caregivers came out to meet them. They seemed to have worried about her, surprised she arrived hours later than expected.

Tom took Annabel's suitcase and handed it to the caregiver. Meanwhile, another caregiver helped her sit in a wheelchair.

"Thank you, Tom. That was a lovely afternoon – one of the best I've had in a while," she smiled sadly. "Tell me, how much do I owe you?"

Tom shook his head and waved his hands. "You owe me nothing, ma'am. Don't worry about it. I had a great time," he replied.

Confused, Annabel insisted she pay him, after all, she took up so much of his time.

"Don't worry, ma'am. There are many other passengers to give rides to. Please, take care," he said, hugging her.

Annabel squeezed him tightly and did not let go for a couple of seconds. "Thank you, dear," she said, her voice cracking. "Thank you for giving me those last moments of joy."

At that, she let go, and she was slowly wheeled into the nursing home. Tom watched her enter, and as soon as he heard the door shut, he felt as if it was the sound of another person's life closing.

"It isn't right for children to leave their parents to die in nursing homes. I learned that the hard way, and I regret it every day," he thought to himself.

That night, as Tom lay down on his bed, he couldn't sleep. He wanted to correct a mistake he once made.

So the next day, he returned to the nursing home and asked for Annabel. He let her know that he wanted to take custody of her and invited her to live with him in his home.

Annabel gratefully agreed, and Tom took care of her the way he wished he had with his own mom. In the end, Annabel and Tom became a family, and they enjoyed every moment they shared.

When Annabel grew sickly, she decided to call her lawyer to amend her will. She placed all her assets, notably her old home, under Tom's name instead of Jack's.

Blindsided by this, Jack kicked himself in envy, realizing the error of his ways. By neglecting his own mother, he lost the house he wanted selfishly for himself and all other chances of him getting an inheritance from her.

What can we learn from this story?

• Family is the greatest treasure of all. It was too late for Tom to make things right with his mom after he sent her to a nursing home, and she died. When he realized that Annabel was about to suffer the same fate as his mom, he did everything to save her. In the end, he realized family is the greatest treasure of all.
• Our parents deserve to be respected. While not everyone can care for their ailing parents, they still deserve respect regardless. Jack did not appreciate his mother and forced her to live in a nursing home for selfish reasons, and this ended up backfiring on him.

Share this story with your loved ones. It might inspire them and make their day.

If you liked this story, you might like this one about a woman who gives all her savings to a homeless man only to receive a two-million-dollar mansion in return.

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.