Poor Woman Takes Care of Old Teacher, Days Later Finds Teacher’s Will in Her Mailbox – Story of the Day

Angela was heartbroken when she recognized her favorite teacher in a poor, helpless state. Despite struggling to make a living herself, Angela did the best she could for the old woman. And that small kindness had an unexpected consequence.

"Baby, I don't know if you can hear me in there, but if you can, listen to this." Angela was talking to her little baby bump that had started to show.

"This morning, Mama was working her shift at the grocery store as usual when she saw a strangely familiar woman walking along the aisles. She was old and walked in quick tiny steps around the place. There was something vaguely familiar about the face of that woman.

After a while, she was nowhere to be seen, and Mama got busy. You know how it is at the grocery store; I'm always on my toes."

As she walked to the kitchen, Angela paused her narration and tried to fill a glass of water without waking her husband up.

It was 2 a.m. Angela's husband Pete had just come home from his second job as a security guard. And before he had to get up and head to his early morning shift at the local hospital, he was catching his three hours of sleep daily.

"But then, as I stepped out for a quick bite, there she was again! And this time, Mama recognized her instantly: it was my favorite teacher in high school, Mrs. Finn!

"Now let me tell you, baby: When you get big and go to school, you will find some incredible teachers.

"Some teachers are going to be strict, and some are going to be friendly. But some are going to be human with you."

"They're going to teach you the ropes of being a good human being more than teaching you English or Math. Mrs. Finn was that kind of teacher. The long Shakespearean plays and Keats' poems were merely a medium for her to teach me kindness and courage in this world.

"So when I recognized Mrs. Finn, I felt like her little student again. I was gushing with nervousness and excitement as we made small talk.

"But when I saw her up close, there were things about her that shocked me and broke my heart, baby."

"Why, what did you see?" Pete was up and had been listening intently.

"She was in bad shape, Pete. I mean, she was wearing a torn dress that she tried to hide under an old shawl. She looked terribly malnourished and was trying to literally hold her arms to stop shaking. Her voice was hoarse, like she had a bad cold. The worst was when I looked down at her feet. She was wearing broken house slippers, Pete. In this cold weather!"

Pete was disturbed by the imagery. "Did you talk to her? Is she sick or maybe in debt?"

"I did talk to her. And her story moved me to tears. No teacher should have to live like this ever!"

"She lost her husband back when she used to work at the school. She barely made ends meet back then, too. And then, they let her go because the school wanted to bring in more 'fresh, young faces' as teachers.

"She begged them to take her back. Not even when the worst thing happened to her. Last year, she lost her only son. He wasn't even married!

"That's when Mrs. Finn hit rock bottom. She is now left with no income, little savings, and an old home where she spends her days alone.

"She looked like she hadn't eaten in two days, Pete. It broke my heart. She was the one who taught me how to be bold and outspoken as a child. She molded me, and I couldn't bear to look at her like that."

Be kind, even if you do not have much yourself.

"Angie, sweetheart," Pete tried to console his wife, who burst into tears.

"So I did the least I could. I noticed Mrs. Finn hadn't bought anything but a small loaf of bread. She was hesitant, but I convinced her to wait in the car while I picked up some groceries from the store. I remembered where she lived and helped her get home.

"When I got to the house, I saw how lonely her life was. And so, I decided to take the day off.

"The house was spacious, but it was almost empty. There was nothing in the fridge or kitchen. The sheets and curtains hadn't been changed in forever, and only one light in the whole house worked without flickering."

"I cooked Mrs. Finn a warm meal, fed her, cleaned her up, and tucked her in for a nap. In the meantime, I did whatever little I could - I put the clothes to wash and dry, dusted the place, and mopped the floor.

"But Mrs. Finn was coughing in her sleep. I knew I had to take her to the doctor.

"Just when we reached the doctor's place, I got a call from the grocery store. My boss was furious about me taking off.

He said, 'Get here in 15 minutes and cover your hours, or else, don't bother coming back at all.'

"I couldn't risk it. I had to rush back. The doctor was kind enough to assure me that he would safely drive Mrs. Finn home."

"That must've felt terrible, leaving her like that," Pete said.

"It did feel terrible. I hadn't even thought of taking Mrs. Finn's phone number. The rest of the evening, I made up for my hours at work, but I was barely there.

"She thanked me about a million times today, Pete. And her eyes teared up every single time. I can still feel her hands on my shoulders."

There was a long silence as both Angela and Pete imagined what Mrs. Finn's life was like.

"What can we do, Pete? We don't have money. Our house is too small to host her here. I know we have a baby coming, and we should save up. But there must be something that we can do..."

Angela feared that Pete would say there was nothing they could do, and he wouldn't be entirely wrong.

"There is so much we can do, Angie! You're going to visit her every day and carry food for her. I'm going to go to her house between shifts tomorrow.

"I'll take stock of whatever is broken around the house and talk to a friend about fixing them. We'll talk to the school and fight to get Mrs. Finn's job back. There are about 20 more things we can do for her. And we will."

Angela hugged Pete and let out a sigh of relief. Pete had once again proved to be her soulmate.

The sun was up, and it was time for the couple to start their morning routine. A pot of coffee was brewing, Pete was ironing his uniform, and Angela stepped out to keep the trash.

She instinctively checked her mailbox. She was expecting a few bills to fall out. Instead, she found a bunch of keys and a letter addressed to her. 'Someone must have left them here by mistake,' she thought.

"Pete? I found the strangest thing in the mailbox! Come read this note with me."

The couple sat down with their coffee, and Angela began to read the letter out loud:

My sweet Angela,

Do you know you changed my life in a single day?

After you left the clinic, the doctor asked me what I did for a living. His eyes lit up when I told him I was an English teacher.

It turns out he was looking for an English tutor for his adopted son, Ali.

He wanted someone who could stay with them and prepare the boy with the basics before he joined a school here. He offered me a home, homecooked meals, and pay that I still can't wrap my head around.

But you know the real reason why I said yes? It was because you reminded me of something that I had forgotten.

You showed me that you were a good human being and assured me that I was a good teacher.

I chose to accept the offer.

I know I can't possibly pay you back for how you've turned this poor old woman's life around. But I know you are expecting a baby and don't have a big enough home.

Well, now you do. These are the keys to my home, which is now officially your new home. The old place is lucky to have you again. Fill it with love and happiness.

Once you are finished setting up, come see me. The address is on the back.

I love you! Mrs. Finn.

Pete and Angela stared at each other, speechless. Angela let out a shriek in excitement before leaning into Pete's arms. Pete held her and kissed her belly, knowing their lives had changed forever.

What can we learn from this story?

• Be kind, even if you do not have much yourself. Angela and Pete had to work extra hard to make ends meet and plan for their baby. But that didn't stop her from offering to help Mrs. Finn, who was struggling way more than her.
• Opportunities can spring up from the most unlikely places. In a single day, Mrs. Finn had stumbled upon a kind old student and a job offer that would change her life. Don't be disheartened - your struggles will pass.

Share this story with your friends. It might brighten up their day.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a kind garbage collector who finds a torn, emotional letter, and decides to find the person it was addressed to.

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.