Woman Sees Things She Gave to Old Friend at Garage Sale and Calls Him to Find Out What’s Wrong – Story of the Day

A young woman was startled to find the expensive gifts she gave an old friend displayed at a garage sale outside his house. She called him to find out what was wrong and shed tears after hearing a heartbreaking voice.

25-year-old nurse Alina Matt was on her way home when a board inscribed "Garage Sale" near her house caught her attention.

"That vintage pocket watch? It looks like the one I gave Mr. Rubin last year. Why is Mrs. Percy taking it?" she exclaimed in shock. Baffled about what such a precious gift was doing in someone else's hands, Alina walked closer to find out.

"I don't believe this. These belong to Mr. Rubin. Why are they lying outside? These are some of the costly gifts I gave him!"

Alina decided to find out why her old friend and neighbor, Sam Rubin, had given up her expensive gifts in a garage sale...

Since Alina's parents lived abroad, she often visited Sam Rubin, her 80-year-old neighbor, as she felt a fatherly presence whenever around him. The two became close friends and spent a lot of time talking sweet stories of Sam's past with his beloved late wife, Emma.

"Look at what my sons did to me. I can't stop crying."

During this time, the young nurse took good care of her old friend and even bought many things he liked but couldn't get due to difficulty with traveling.

Whenever Alina returned from a trip, she bought lovely gifts for Sam, whom she regarded as nothing less than her father.

"Ah, this painting. It is beautiful," Sam exclaimed when Alina gifted him a portrait she bought from Paris. "But the classic timepiece has won my heart!"

Whenever the nurse got the chance, she always gave something nice to Sam because she wanted him to feel better and loved.

Alina had learned that Sam's three sons never looked after him well and barely showed up to even check on him, so she took it upon herself to care for him and make him feel loved.

Eventually, Alina and Sam became best friends, and she always visited him every day. The old man loved vintage items, and his house almost looked like a mini-museum of wonderful things.

While all was well between the two thick friends, work demanded more of Alina's time. She was sent away to another state to serve in a nursing facility and had to leave her old friend temporarily.

"How long will it take?" a sad Sam asked Alina.

"Not long. Just a month, I suppose. I'll be back soon and get you the showpiece you wanted."

Alina left for her service trip, leaving behind old Sam with solid hopes of seeing her again. But a month later, a disturbing sight awaited Alina when she returned to her neighborhood.

"Wh-What's going on? Why is Mr. Rubin's lawn a mess?" she shouted after seeing things scattered outside his house.

"Mrs. Percy. Wait...where are you taking the vintage pocket watch?"

But Mrs. Percy, who was hard of hearing, drove away with the classic timepiece as Alina watched in shock.

"Where is Mr. Rubin? And these items? These paintings are expensive. What's happening? Where is he?"

Alina was anxious. She ran inside Sam's house and saw his precious art collection removed. There were no paintings, and his house was wiped clean.

"Where is Mr. Rubin? What happened to him?"

The nurse was worried. She knew the man was having health issues, so she panicked not seeing him there.

"I ask you to stop this and tell me where Mr. Rubin is! Or I'm calling the cops!"

A man who was busy arranging the items approached Alina and told her that the old man would never return.

"What do you mean he won't return? What happened to him?" Alina exclaimed. "Where is he?"

"I don't know, but we were asked to sell these old items."

Alina was worried. She tried calling Sam, but his phone appeared to be switched off. Then a neighbor walked to her and gave her a small piece of paper with a phone number.

"You will find out after calling this number. Please reach out before it's too late."

"But whose number is this?" Alina asked. But the man walked away without a word, leaving her baffled.

Alina rushed to her house next door and immediately called the number.

"Hello. I'm Alina, and I want to talk to Mr. Sam Rubin. Is he there?"

"Yes, one moment," the woman who answered said. "Please bring Mr. Rubin. He has a call from someone called Alina."

Moments later, Alina heard her old friend on the phone.

"Hello, sweetheart...I'm glad you came back."

"Mr. Rubin? Are you alright? What is happening here?"

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I wanted to call you, but my sons took my phone away. I lost your number and hoped you would call me one day."

"That's fine. But can you please tell me why you're selling all items in your house? And my gifts? Why are you giving them away?"

After a moment of silence, the old man began to weep. Alina became teary-eyed hearing her dear friend cry for the first time since she'd known him.

"My sons...They told me they were taking me for a vacation and left me in a nursing facility out of town ...And they said they would renovate my house, but when I asked to return home after, they said it was now theirs and kicked me out."

Alina now got the whole picture. Sam's sons had tricked him and taken away his only memory of his late wife, the house where they once lived happily.

"I'll call you back. Don't worry."

The nurse was furious, and she decided to do something to help her old friend.

"I'm buying everything. Not a pin leaves this place...Stop, right now," she demanded and bought every item in the garage sale, making sure not to miss even the smallest things. Then, she rushed to find the woman who had taken the vintage pocket watch she had gifted Sam.

"Mrs. Percy. Please return that vintage timepiece you bought from the garage sale outside Mr. Rubin's house. It was sold by mistake."

"Oh, dear! But I wanted that. It was cheap."

After much convincing, Alina retrieved the classic timepiece from the woman. But she didn't stop at just that and wanted to help her old friend return to his beloved house.

A week later, Alina drove to the nursing facility where Sam lived.

"Darling! I am so glad to see you," Sam cried. "Look at what my sons did to me. I can't stop crying!"

Alina patted her friend and signed a few papers while he watched in confusion.

"Come, let's go!" she said.

"But where? My sons took my house away."

"You'll know in a while...Please come with me."

Shortly after, Alina pulled over outside Sam's house. He was emotional seeing his home and looked at her, confused.

"B-But my sons? Where are they? They told me not to come here again."

Alina, who was teary-eyed, held Sam by his hand and led him into his house.

"This is unbelievable!" Sam wept as he looked at his house restored of its lost glory. Everything was put up the way it was before, including his armchair by the window near the houseplants.

"How did you do this? Did my sons agree?"

A look of disbelief cloaked Alina's eyes. She felt sorry for Sam, who still thought that his sons wouldn't let him in the house.

"Well, I hired a lawyer for you to fight your sons and retrieve your precious house. They disagreed until my lawyer threatened them with legal action for kicking you out and scamming you."

Sam was touched by his friend's efforts to put a smile on his face while his sons abandoned him.

"Your house is all yours now! And Mr. Rubin, I got this Buddha showpiece for you. I am sure it will add more peace to your house!"

From that day on, Alina often visited her old friend and made sure he didn't lack the love and comfort he needed to age gracefully.

Ultimately, Sam never regretted not having his sons by his side. He had secretly decided to make his kind friend Alina the legal heir of his beloved house!

What can we learn from this story?

• Do not miss the chance to help others when you can. When Alina learned that Sam Rubin's sons had tricked him and taken his house, she fought them legally. She retrieved the house and all its belongings to bring back the peace that was taken from him.
• Respect and love your elders regardless of age. Alina always saw a father figure in her old friend, Sam Rubin. She loved spending time with him and treated him as her father. The respect and love she had for the old man made a world of difference when he needed help.

Click here to read about how a sweet little girl grabbed a homeless man's hand and took him to her house to live with her.

This story is inspired by the everyday lives of our readers 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.