Teen Boy Buys Electric Wheelchair for Old Man, Gets Access to His Platinum Bank Account as He Turns 18 — Story of the Day

When everybody turned their backs on a grumpy old man, a 14-year-old boy stepped up and made a huge sacrifice to buy him an electric wheelchair. Four years later, he received a startling call at the old man's funeral, informing him of a reward that made everyone green with envy.

Sometimes, people who are outwardly tough can be easily mistaken as cold and heartless. It would take a lifetime to discover their warm side for those who constantly judge them. Maybe that's why nobody understood what a heart of gold 78-year-old Robinson Willy had.

"Oh, that man? Who wants to talk to him? He's a rude old goon, and nobody wants him around," were some of the things people said behind his back.

The ill things people said about Robinson kept piling up until one day when a fellow neighboring boy stepped up for him when nobody did. In the end, the unsuspecting savior earned his way to the grumpy old man's bank account and startled everyone...

Leslie, a widowed mother juggling two jobs and motherhood, wanted her only son, Harry Pierce, to learn the value of money and hard work. So when he demanded a mountain bike for his 15th birthday, she knew what to do.

Four years later, while attending Robinson's funeral, Harry received a call from the lawyer's office, much to everyone's shock and curiosity.

The 14-year-old 8th-grader had offered his mother to help with household chores in exchange for $5 a day. This little deal between the mother and son began 11 months ago. It was around the same time when Robinson moved into their pleasant little neighborhood in Williamsburg.

But ever since he moved there, nobody liked him. People thought he was rude and an old introvert who hated being around people. Nobody invited him to events or parties because they did not like him pulling faces in a crowd.

However, Harry was different and pitied the old man, although he did not know him closely.

The boy often approached Robinson warmly to help. He would fetch him the newspaper and even check his mailbox for him. Harry had a soft spot for the lonely old man and wanted to help.

But Robinson never extended a friendly hand to the kind boy. Instead, he would frown and ask him to stay away from his yard, which Harry did because he felt he was intruding on the old man's privacy.

The hatred Robinson earned in the neighborhood saw no end as time passed. People avoided him and turned their backs whenever they saw him. Nevertheless, Robinson never complained. He remained cold and bitter toward everyone and preferred it that way.

One day, Robinson installed a ladder outside his house to fix a roof leak and paint his walls. He never asked for help and assumed he could do it himself.

He climbed to the top of the ladder, and as he was about to step onto the roof, the ladder trembled. He lost his balance and hit the lawn with a loud thud.

Around 10 minutes later, the injured old man was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. When he opened his eyes in the emergency ward several hours later, he was astonished to see Leslie and Harry there.

"Mr. Willy, are you alright?" Leslie asked. "You could have called my son to help you."

"I could have climbed up the roof instead," Harry added. "Thank goodness I was returning home when I saw you unconscious on your lawn. I called 911 immediately!"

Although Robinson vaguely smiled, he did not speak. He overheard the doctors tell Leslie and Harry that he would not be able to walk for a very long time since he had hurt his spine and leg.

Robinson was already depressed about spending his final days without anyone and was pushed to the extreme of pain. Deep in his heart, he wished he had died instead.

Leslie and Harry felt very sorry for Robinson. That night, the boy could not sleep peacefully. He kept thinking about the old man's difficulty and realized that it would make him feel more isolated. Then he had an idea. He jumped out of bed to count the money in his closet.

"$1,650!" he exclaimed and started searching for an electric wheelchair online.

"An electric wheelchair?!" Leslie gasped after seeing Harry busy checking out the prices and specs for an affordable motorized wheelchair. "But why would you need that, darling? You wanted a mountain bike, right?"

"Yeah, mom, that's right...But Robinson needs an electric wheelchair more than I need a mountain bike. He needs to move around without any help. So I want to get him an electric wheelchair with my savings."

Leslie was moved by her son's kind heart. Together, they bought an affordable motorized wheelchair online and waited to surprise Robinson.

The old man was discharged from the hospital and driven home by cab a few days later. He felt so heavy and hurt that nobody was around him to wish for his wellness.

After reaching home, the driver carried Robinson off the car. Moments later, he was stunned to see Leslie and Harry at his doorstep.

"What are you two doing here?" Robinson asked. "Wait, where are you bringing me? Put me down!"

The driver helped the old man to his new wheelchair, just as Leslie and Harry asked him to. Robinson didn't know what was happening, torn between reality and a dream.

"Mr. Robinson, I hope you will feel more independent now," Harry said. "You don't have to depend on anyone to move around because you can operate this wheelchair yourself!"

Robinson was moved to tears by the boy's kind words. Speechless, he pulled Harry to a hug, tears streaming down his face.

"Oh, young man! Nobody wanted to even look at this rude, old man. But what made you help me? How will I ever repay you?" he cried.

To his surprise, Harry's reply made him shed more tears, something he hadn't done even when his girlfriend broke up with him 55 years ago.

"I never met my own grandfather because he died before I was even born. I see you now as the grandfather I never had, so I don't want you to repay me," said the boy.

For the first time in years, Robinson felt his heart light and happy. The last time he was delighted was around 50 years ago when he met Maria, his ex-girlfriend.

They were blindly in love and had planned to get married. At the time, Robinson felt he was too young to have children, so he told Maria he would only marry her if she agreed not to have children. But the woman loved kids, and Robinson's condition broke her heart.

Ultimately, the couple parted ways, and since then, the man remained a bachelor. He never found anyone to love and would accept his condition. It was too late when he realized he wanted a family and children. Robinson had gotten old and filled with regret.

Because Harry's kindness touched his heart, he decided to draft a will before his death. And four years later, Harry received a call from the lawyer's office at Robinson's funeral, much to everyone's shock and curiosity.

"Yes, that's right...Mr. Willy left a will giving you access to all of his money," the lawyer said, extending the document to Harry the next day.

"I don't believe this! Mr. Robinson gave me access to $1.7M in his platinum bank account?!" the boy exclaimed. "And mom and I get his house too? And a new mountain bike?! Whoa!."

As it turned out, Robinson was moved by the boy and his mom's kindness that he decided to return the favor by bequeathing his house to them and all the money in his bank account. He also gifted Harry a brand new mountain bike.

Meanwhile, the neighbors who scorned late Robinson felt sorry and regretted their mistake. They cried and apologized at his grave for judging him without seeing the goodness in his heart.

Harry never failed to visit Robinson's grave on his death anniversary every year. Sometimes, he would sit there and spend time near the late man's grave, thanking him for being what he was - a grandfather.

Rumor has it that Harry plans to build a home for older people to honor Robinson and pay it forward. Good luck, Harry, and never stop loving the elderly!

What can we learn from this story?

• Kindness is always rewarding. When Harry bought an electric wheelchair to help his old neighbor move around, he sacrificed his dream of getting a mountain bike. In the end, his kindness was rewarded with a bank balance worth $1.7M, a new house, and a bike of his dreams.
• Do not judge someone by their outward appearance or behavior. Neighbors often mocked Robinson because they thought he was rude and grumpy. They avoided him and did not like having him around. But they realized their mistake and later apologized to him at his grave after learning of his warm and generous side.

A little boy spent two years saving money to buy his dream bicycle. One day, he met an old lady who made him realize that money is not everything. Moved by the lesson he learned, he gifted his hard-earned savings to her. Click here to read the full story.

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.