Girl Hasn't Visited Granddad for Years, Comes & Sees Abandoned House Decorated for Party Inside – Story of the Day

A young girl pays a surprise visit to her grandpa's house after five years. She grows anxious after finding it abandoned and enters inside, only to see it grandly decorated for a party that never happened.

"Slightly lift your head and look to the right," said Amanda, a 23-year-old street artist. She was painting a portrait of a girl and her grandfather. And for some reason, painting this picture tormented her.

Tears rose in her eyes as she could not stop thinking about her grandpa, Frank. "Focus, focus, don't," she muttered, running her brush on the painting. Later that day, she packed her bags and flew to her hometown to pay her grandpa a surprise visit.

"Grandpa would be so happy to see me after five years!" she thought, only to freeze in shock when she arrived outside his house. It did not look how she left it five years ago. It was abandoned and appeared uninhabited for a long time...

"What just happened here? Oh, God...Why is grandpa's house in this condition?" she shrieked. The once manicured lawn had lost its glory. Dry leaves, rubble, and sticks lay crumbled on the doorstep. The pond Amanda loved when she was little had dried up, and all the fish had died.

It appeared she had entered a different world full of darkness and sorrow, ready to crumble with time.

"I did this to him...He raised me after my parents died but look at what I did to him," cried Amanda.

"Where is grandpa?" Amanda looked around, but nobody was there. She checked the lock and recognized it was the same lock her grandpa often used. Luckily, Amanda had a spare key for it.

"Come on, turn around, turn around," she mumbled at the key. After a momentary struggle, the rusted lock opened up, and Amanda worriedly stepped inside. The untouched view she encountered in there startled her—A grandly decorated birthday party hall and boxes of gifts cloaked in dust stared back at her.

"Oh my God...What is going on?" she shrieked, approaching a pile of dusty gift boxes that were still unwrapped.

Amanda picked one of the boxes and dusted it before carefully unwrapping it. Inside was an easel and an expensive painting kit.

"How could I have been so cruel to my grandpa?" she cried, holding the gifts close to her heart. "Grandpa, I'm so sorry I did this to you. I should have thought twice before..." she sobbed, running to her room upstairs.

She jumped onto her bed crying, unable to forgive herself. Amanda thought her grandpa had died and forced herself to come to terms with it. That's when an envelope on her desk drew her attention. It was addressed to her and was from Frank, who had left her a note detailing his whereabouts just in case she came to visit him someday.

Amanda sighed relief after learning her grandpa was in the nursing home in town. She decided to surprise him with a gift the next day and make up for breaking his heart five years ago.

The following morning, Amanda rode by taxi to meet Frank. Her heart began to race as a caretaker guided her to his room. "He never talks much to anyone. He is always lost in thought and says that he ruined his granddaughter's life," the man said.

"I did this to him," Amanda cried. "He raised me after my parents died but look at what I did to him. I thought he was a stern man who only worried about his principles. But today, I learned I was wrong and how much he loves me."

She could not hold her tears back as she entered her grandpa's room. He had changed a lot in five years, but the only thing that hadn't changed was his sharp eyesight and ability to recognize Amanda at first sight.

"Amanda, darling! Are you back?" he cried, running to her as fast as his wobbly legs could carry him. "I am so sorry for what I did to you."

"Grandpa, please don't be sorry. I shouldn't have fought with you and left. I should have come back and apologized to you. It still hurts me when I think of what I did to you back then."

It turned out that five years ago, Amanda argued with Frank about sending her to an art school while he wanted her to pursue a law degree. Their heated argument turned intense just two days before Amanda's 18th birthday.

She wanted to throw a party for all her friends, but Frank was so upset with her that he refused. He did not wish her happy birthday that morning because he wanted to surprise her with a grand party.

But out of anger and disappointment, Amanda misunderstood Frank. She left him a note informing him she was going to the city to become an artist and told him not to look for her. Amanda deserted her grandpa and blocked his contact, knowing little that he had actually planned to surprise her.

"Sweetheart, I'm so glad to see you," cried Frank. "I thought I would go to the grave without seeing you. I wanted to surprise you with a birthday party that evening, but when I went to your room, I found a note from you."

Tears rose in Amanda's eyes as she kept listening...

"I was shattered and was in the hospital when I woke up hours later. I had a stroke, but luckily, I recovered. I returned home but could not live there, haunted by loneliness and guilt. I left a note for you, locked the house as it was, and moved in here."

Frank's revelation crushed Amanda even more. She could not forgive herself for coming to a hasty conclusion about her grandpa without knowing the truth. She regretted her mistake, and though she knew she could not make up entirely for it, she handed him a portrait she had painted the previous night.

"I'm so sorry, grandpa. I was blinded by my anger that day. I failed to understand how my hasty decision of leaving you would affect you," she cried, giving him the gift-wrapped portrait.

To her surprise, Frank's tears melted into joy after seeing a beautiful picture of Amanda crying on his lap. "It is so beautiful, darling!" he sobbed, holding the painting close to his heart.

"Come, let's go home, grandpa," she fell onto his lap in tears. Frank and Amanda returned home that evening with a birthday cake. She cut a slice and fed her grandpa, who could not hold back his tears.

They spent the rest of the evening in front of the fireplace, unwrapping all the presents Frank had bought for Amanda five years ago, most of which were art essentials and painting kits.

What can we learn from this story?

• Do not make hasty decisions out of anger, as they could lead to irreversible consequences. When Frank turned down Amanda's request to go to art school, and for a birthday party, she was furious. She left a note and walked out on him on her 18th birthday, only to stare at the heartbreaking consequences five years later.
• Do not drag your misunderstandings with someone out for a long time. Instead, try to sort them out before it is too late. It took Amanda five years to remember her grandfather and resolve their differences. Although she arrived at a happy ending, the scenario could have been heartbreaking if she had delayed more to reconcile with him.

An old lady celebrating her 82nd birthday waits for her granddaughter to cut the cake in the park. But nobody shows up after learning she is a janitor. 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.