Beggar Loved in Neighborhood Learns He Has a Son, Appears at His B-Day Party Next Day – Story of the Day

In an unexpected turn of events, a beloved local beggar discovers he has a son. The next day, he crashes his son's birthday party, and everything turns worse from there until a little girl steps in.

Fred was loved. He knew that. In their small suburban district, he held a reputation no less than that of a politician because he was a kind and generous beggar.

Like most homeless people who begged for money, even Fred did. But he worked hard for it in return. He'd wash people's cars or carry their groceries, and other times he'd be assisting shop owners in cleaning the pavements outside their stores.

Because of his kind and helpful nature, everyone in the neighborhood admired Fred. They offered him food, money, and warm clothes, a little generously sometimes because Fred had a cute pet dog, Max, that he needed to look after.

And mind you, if anyone could compete with the neighborhood's affection for Fred, it was Max. The kids enjoyed playing with him, and they often got him delicious treats. In a way, Max was the family Fred never had.

The past is gone; improve your present to have a beautiful tomorrow.

One day, Fred was cleaning the sidewalk when a man came up to him and said, "Oh! You've got the same birthmark as my boss! That's strange."

Fred laughed. "Careful, young man. This birthmark is one-of-a-kind. Don't you see how it's shaped like a heart? I'm proud of this! You couldn't possibly have seen it before!"

"Well, I'm certain you're not the only one with it," the man said. "Anyway, have a nice day. I'm running late. My boss will kill me if I don't make it on time. But you know, it's a small world. If only you two were related, maybe you could help," he joked.

"No, wait," Fred stopped him, suddenly intrigued. "What is your boss's name again?"

"Uh, Mr. Duncan? William Duncan? If you meet him, you'll know I'm not lying." He suddenly checked his wristwatch. "I have to leave. Sorry."

The man disappeared, but his words stuck with Fred: "I'm sure you're not the only one with this birthmark." William Duncan…Fred had heard that surname before.

But he couldn't recall where. He returned to his job, collected his pay, and headed to a cafe for dinner. And while he was devouring the meal, it suddenly hit him. "Wait, did he say the last name was Duncan?"

Fred recalled his ex-girlfriend, Rosie. They had broken up after he'd lost his house to his father's debts. She didn't see a future with him, so they decided to go their separate ways. Fred wondered if Rosie had a son he didn't know about, and he decided to find out where William lived.

Because it was a small district and people knew Fred well, they jumped in to help him find William, and they did.

A few days later, Fred stopped outside William's house and rang the doorbell, Max hiding behind his legs. Through the living room window, Fred could see that there was a party going on inside the house with a large number of people attending.

"Yes? How may I help you?" a tall man, who appeared to be in his 30s, opened the door.

"I'm sorry for crashing your party like this, but are you, William Duncan? Rosie's son?" Fred asked, his attention drawn to the birthmark on the man's neck. It was exactly like his.

"Yes, I'm William, and yes, Rosie is my mother," he replied, and Fred burst into tears.

"I am sorry, son," Fred fell to his knees. "I'm your father. I am sorry I couldn't be there for you. I didn't even know you existed! I—"

"OUT!"

"What? But son, I—"

"Both you and your dirty dog! Out now! What did you expect coming back to me after all these years, uh? Let me guess! You don't look like you have a good life, do you? Are you here for money? In that case, just get lost! I'm not going to give you anything! And don't you dare come here and ruin my birthday again! You're a loser who left my mother!"

William slammed the door on Fred's face and didn't even bother listening to what he had to say. Hurt, Fred wiped his tears and was about to leave, but then he heard the house's front door open behind him.

Fred assumed it was William, but when he turned around and saw a little girl with two pigtails petting Max on the head while the dog licked her hand.

"We have to leave, Max. Come on, boy," William said to the dog, but Max refused to leave.

"Hello there," he finally said to the girl, Lacy. "I'm sorry, but I must take the dog with me. He is the only family I have," he added sadly.

"Can you not?" Lacy said after a pause, staring up at him, then she became quiet.

Max seemed comfortable with her, and the way she was playing with him made Fred realize that Lacy needed him. He could see she wasn't a very social child. Not to mention, she looked so much like William, and he knew she was his granddaughter.

"If you really want him, you can have him. Max knows where to find me if he needs me," he remarked, and he walked away.

The next day, Fred was back at his cleaning gig outside the store when Max came running to him. But he wasn't alone.

"William? Oh, is that my grandson?" Fred burst into tears as he saw William with a small boy and Lacy following Max.

"Did you leave your dog with Lacy?" William asked Fred shyly, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Well, I saw my granddaughter…uh, well, your daughter seemed to like him so…."

"Thank you," said William. "Lacy hasn't been comfortable interacting in a long time. She met with an accident while on her way to school, and since then, she's been a very quiet child. We sought all sorts of treatment, but nothing seemed to work. Max brought that first change, and yesterday she tried to initiate a conversation for the first time.

"I'm sorry, dad," he hugged Fred. "I was so wrong. I should have given you a chance to explain. I am so sorry."

"Oh well," Fred was speechless as his son embraced him. "I - I never…I mean…It's okay. I forgive you. I love you, son. Oh, I really do!"

"I love you too, dad. And yeah, I'm sorry," said William.

That day, they sat together for a long time, listening to each other's worries. And they decided to put the past behind them and move on. Rosie, sadly, had died years ago, but William suspects she'd be glad to see him reunited with his father. What mother wouldn't?

What can we learn from this story?

• The past is gone; improve your present to have a beautiful tomorrow. William and Fred decided to put the past behind them and move on. That allowed them to heal and make up for missed years together.
• Love changes people and heals them. William's stern heart melted for Fred after he learned how he had helped Lacy. Fred's love for Lacy did that.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a beggar who makes handmade toys for orphans and receives an invitation from a toy manufacturing company one day.

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.