Janitor Is Forced to Live in School with Wife & 4 Kids, Once Checks Bank Account & Finds $2M — Story of the Day

A poor homeless janitor who lived with his wife and kids in the school he worked at was stunned when he found $2 million in his account. He decided to find the sender and return the money but changed his mind after recognizing the person.

Sometimes, compassion and a bit of effort are all it takes to put a smile on someone's face and ease their sorrow. But what Emerald High's 34-year-old janitor Patrick Brown saw on the bank balance notification on his phone one day proved to be more than someone's compassion for him.

"$2 million? I haven't seen so much money even in my dreams.! What's happening? Is this a prank? Maybe somebody sent it to my account by mistake...Or is someone trying to set me up?" Patrick mumbled in shock as he barged into the principal's office.

But little did he know that it was not a blunder or prank, and he was just moments away from discovering another jolting truth...

"Mr. Johnson, this has to be a mistake. I had only $100 in my account, but now it shows $2M," he told the school principal, showing the screenshots of his previous and current bank balances from his phone. "I'm scared. This is not my money!"

"I knew it would be you. What's going on? I cannot take this money," the janitor gasped in shock after recognizing the person behind the $2M.

The principal was equally shocked by this. He patted Patrick and told him to keep the money and consider it a blessing from the Almighty to help his poor family.

"Remember you had to sell your house to save your eldest son, Rubin? You spent all your savings on his heart surgery, right?" the principal said. "You didn't have a house, so I asked you to bring your family to our watchman's vacant quarters. This is life-changing money, Patrick. Please do not lose it or say no to it. Just accept it."

But the janitor's heart was unwilling. It's true. He worked hard for a living and sacrificed everything he had to save his son's life. He lost his roof and savings and was forced to live in the school with his family.

But Patrick was scared that the unexpected $2M was a prank. At some point, he thought someone was setting him up. As far as he knew, he did not have any foes.

His anxiety swelled as he checked his bank balance several times. But he got the same notification each time indicating the $2M in his account.

Several thoughts hounded his head, and he was baffled, thinking about how to return the money to the mysterious sender.

"But we could use some to buy medicines for our daughter," Patrick's wife Emma said. Their youngest child Sophie had caught a cold due to living in the room next to the breezy veranda. "Maybe we could just use some for medicines and some groceries and give back the remaining money to whoever sent it to us."

"No, that's wrong. I cannot take money that doesn't belong to me. I will find the sender and return it," Patrick said. He went out for a breath of fresh air to think about the wealthy acquaintances he had been around.

"Mr. George? But he has talked to me only twice. And why would he send me $2M? That's insane," Patrick thought, trying to connect the dots. "Mrs. Parker? But she's a pensioner. She wouldn't have $2M to spare blindly...."

The breezy afternoon folded into a cold evening as Patrick sat shaking his head, thinking about every wealthy person he knew. Finally, his speculations led him to 15-year-old wheelchair user Eric Thomas, a pupil in his school.

"Eric? Well, that boy often spent his lunch breaks with me. He was always curious about why I lived in the school with my family. He'd even given away all his old books and toys to my children. But $2M? That's so much money. Why would he give me $2M?" Patrick thought.

Meanwhile, in Eric's house, his dad and mom were at the dining table, talking to him about his good deed and his bigger heart.

"Are you sure he won't find out it's us? I'm sure he'll figure out what we did," Eric's dad Carl said. "I'll blame you if he finds out!" he joked and got up to attend to a call from the principal.

"Yes, Mr. Thomas. I guess he found out. I think it's time to finally disclose the truth to him before he heads to the bank tomorrow," the principal said.

"Oh, really? We'll be there in ten minutes. Please do not let him leave the campus," Thomas replied, staring at his son.

Eric was a new pupil in the school and had no friends for an entire term because he was too reserved. He often watched his classmates playing and running about while sitting in his wheelchair. When he spotted Patrick with his family, he was curious to know why they lived there.

He wheeled his way across the corridor, unaware of the wet floor, and he missed seeing the caution board on the side, causing him to lose control of his wheelchair. He would have rammed onto the glass wall on the farther end if Patrick hadn't jumped in and held the wheelchair, blocking his way.

"You saved my life. Thank you so much!" Eric cried.

From that moment, he befriended the janitor and was always around him. He had learned of Patrick's tragic past through the principal and decided to help him.

Ultimately, he told his parents, who had always wanted to meet the man who saved their son's life. Together with the principal, they devised a way to return the kind janitor's favor by surprising him with $2M. With the help of Principal Johnson, they deposited the amount into Patrick's salary account.

"There has to be only one person who could've done this...Eric!" Patrick thought, snapping back to reality. "He was always curious about my living conditions and was the only one sticking around me. I'm sure it must be him." As he finally connected the dots and realized where the fortune came from, he stormed to the principal's office, only to be surprised upon entering.

"Good evening, Mr. Brown!" Carl and his wife chorused.

"Hey, Patrick! Good evening," Eric waved, smiling.

The janitor was astonished to see them at the principal's office. Mr. Johnson had informed them about Patrick's suspicions regarding the money. They had ultimately planned to reveal the surprise to him that evening. "I knew it was you. What's going on? I just figured out what you did, Eric. But why? I cannot take this money."

Just then, Eric's dad chimed in and embraced the janitor. "This money is just a token of gratitude for saving my son's life. I can easily make another million in a month. But it's nothing compared to my precious son. And you should accept this gift for your family's sake."

Patrick was moved to tears after hearing this. He couldn't refuse the money and hugged Eric. "I will never forget this help," he cried in the boy's arms.

"It's nothing compared to the precious life of my parents that you saved. I am their life, and you saved me. Keep being a doting father to your kids. They deserve a better life, and this money would be useful for that!"

That day, the poor hardworking janitor witnessed what compassion looked like. He shed tears of joy and walked away to his room to discuss the future of his $2M. The whole night, he and his wife couldn't stop talking about their dream home they had decided to buy shortly after!

What can we learn from this story?

• Money is nothing compared to someone's life. When you have the opportunity to save someone's life, do it. Patrick was a poor janitor, and when he needed money to save his son's life, he sold his house and spent all his savings to save him. He was always selfless and even saved Eric's life one day. Due to his selfless attitude, Eric's parents rewarded him with $2M as they believed money was nothing compared to their son's precious life.
• When God shuts one door, he always opens another. After selling his house to save his son, Patrick was homeless and lived with his family in the school he worked. His selflessness was soon rewarded when he was gifted $2M for saving another person's life.

A boy spent two years saving his daily allowance to raise $830 for his dream bicycle. He thought money could buy anything until meeting an old lady who proved he was wrong. Click here to find out why he gifted her his entire savings.

This piece is inspired by stories from 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.