Single Dad Adopts Niece & Struggles to Raise Her, Years Later Learns about Her $2M Inheritance – Story of the Day

A divorced dad agrees to raise his dead sister's little girl because there is no other family left. He is struggling to be a good father and make ends meet when he receives a mysterious phone call.

"I'm a loser," Wayne said, staring at himself in the mirror. "That's why she left." Then he dropped his head into his hands and cried. He was thirty-two years old, and he'd just lost his wife.

His wife, Lorraine, had left him. "I need more, Wayne!" she'd told him. "You're just not good enough." His dad had been right about Lorraine. His dad had been right about everything. He also thought Wayne was a loser...

Wayne supposed he couldn't blame Lorraine. He had a mid-level job at the local college — he was a librarian — and he loved it. He wasn't an ambitious man.

There had been enough money to pay the mortgage and put food on the table, but no money for fancy clothes or fancy shoes, or fancy spas. So Lorraine had found a man with a fancy car and a big bank account who could give her all those things.

Wayne had good days and bad days, sometimes he missed her so much he couldn't breathe. Mostly, he worked to keep his mind off Lorriane, until one day Child Services called him.

Kindness and honesty are more valuable than money.

"Mr. Smith?" asked the woman.

"Yes," Wayne said, "Who's speaking?"

"I'm Mrs. Kartland, from Atlanta Child Services," she said. "You had a sister, Jessica?"

"I have a sister," Wayne said. "What's this about?"

"I'm afraid your sister and her husband passed away, Mr. Smith," Mrs. Kartland said. "As far as we can determine, you are your niece's only living relative."

"My niece?" gasped Wayne. "I have a niece?"

"Yes, Isabella, six years old," she replied. "Would you be willing to take her?"

"Take her?" asked Wayne, bewildered. "Take her where?"

"Adopt her, Mr. Smith," Mrs, Kartland said. "Otherwise she will go into the system. Please, Mr. Smith, think about it. The system is all we have, but it's not where I'd want my own child to end up. Think about your sister..."

Wayne did and somehow found himself agreeing to take Isabella and raise her as his own. It sounded simple, but it was very complicated, Wayne discovered.

Isabella was pretty and very bright, and she looked exactly as he remembered Jessica. She sounded like her, too. "Don't you know how to make braids?" she asked scornfully. "My daddy knew how to make braids..."

Wayne would sigh and struggle to tie the delicate bows with his big clumsy fingers.

Jessica took up every single second of his free time away from work. He was now a full-time dad, and not a very good one. He picked the wrong color socks to go with the pink skirt and got a lecture on fashion and color coordination all the way to school. He placed Jessica's winged poneys on the same shelf as the unicorns (unicorns and poneys with wings HATE each other).

It was almost a year before Wayne realized that he hadn't thought of Lorraine once. He was harried and stressed, but he was HAPPY! He even started dating a mom he'd met at the school bake sale.

He was even happier when Isabelle started picking out his clothes and ties, and people started telling him he was 'dashing' and 'handsome'!

"I'm cool, Uncle Wayne," Isabella told him sternly. "So you have to be too!" Yes, Wayne was happy, but he did worry about Isabella's future. She was so bright! Where was he going to get the money for college?

One day, the phone rang. "Mr. Smith?" asked a man's voice. Wayne felt a frisson. Deja vu?

"What is it?" he asked anxiously. "What do you want?"

"Mr. Smith," the man said. "I'd like you to meet me at my office. I have some information with regards to your niece, Isabella."

The man was insistent, so Wayne drove downtown to his fancy office. "Mr. Smith," the man said. "I'm Mr.Gothman's lawyer. He was Isabella's paternal grandfather."

"I thought I was Isabella's only relative!" Wayne exclaimed.

The lawyer looked embarrassed. "Mr. Gothman didn't approve of his son's marriage," he explained. "Unfortunately, Mr. Gothman passed away. Isabella is his sole heir. She inherits $2 million dollars. It's currently invested and earns around $60,000 a year. Of course, you have access to the interest..."

Wayne was stunned and delighted! Now he knew that Isabella's future was assured. He decided to take a sabbatical (the interest meant he could afford it) to write a book.

His first novel, 'The Wild Maiden and the Rake' sold millions, and he immediately started on his second book. People love romance, and no one understands romance better than a librarian. At least, that's what Wayne told the interviewer on the TV morning show.

That afternoon, Lorraine called. "Wayne, baby..." she drawled. "Tell me the truth, was your heroine based on me?"

"No," said Wayne, and hung up on her.

"Who was that, Uncle Wayne?" asked Isabella curiously.

"No one important," Wayne said and hugged her.

What can we learn from this story?

• Kindness and honesty are more valuable than money. Wayne's wife thought he was a loser because he wasn't rich, but he had wonderful qualities she didn't value.
• Family is the most important thing we can have. Wayne discovered that dedicating himself to his niece made him a happier and better man.

Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a man who had lost his family and decided to adopt a little boy that no one wants because he has Down syndrome. Years later, he is contacted by a lawyer with surprising news.

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