Nobody Steps into Old Man’s House until Teen Boy Appears on His Porch When Hurricane Starts — Story of the Day

Nobody knew what a grumpy older man was protecting behind closed doors of his house until a boy tried breaking in to save him during a hurricane.

What could've been worse for 68-year-old Frank than returning home to an empty house? After a long day as a cleaner at a café, he would come home, tired and knowing nobody would be waiting for him.

The door would creak open, causing Frank to cough due to the dust and the air that smelled of old, rotting furniture. As soon as he entered his shabby house, he would slam the door as neighbors and kids grumbled. Nobody liked him because he was rude and never allowed anybody inside.

"Why can't he go somewhere else? — Yeah, how rude and ugly he looks frowning all the time," they gossiped behind his back.

Why was Frank living alone in that old, haunted house, and what was he hiding there? Nobody guessed what he had been doing behind closed doors until Josh, a boy who recently moved in with his widowed mother, braved his porch one day...

13-year-old Josh and his mother, Camilla, were new in town. It had been over a month since they lost the most beloved man of their lives, Josh's father, Jackson. They could not rent a bigger house, so they moved out of town to a smaller home.

"This is why I never allowed anybody inside my house," Frank cried, pointing his finger at a faint corner of his house.

The things Camilla and Josh heard about Frank from all their neighbors after moving in were not very pleasant.

"You and your son better stay away from that grumpy old man who lives next door," they warned. "He never talks to anyone and always keeps himself locked in when he is not out working."

"Yeah, he never lets anyone inside and goes mad if somebody goes near his house. Nobody knows what he's doing inside," added another.

Camilla was worried and heeded the neighbors' warnings. She forbade Josh from going anywhere near Frank's house.

Day by day, Josh started observing Frank, whose house was just a few yards opposite his bedroom window.

"Why does that man not talk to anyone? It's sad how people here talk poorly about him. Why does he lock himself away all the time? I must find out," wondered Josh. But he never had the time for it. Josh just started going to his new school and always returned home tired.

One day, he was just about to leave for school when his mother stopped him. "Didn't you see the news today morning? They have predicted a hurricane, and it's about to rain heavily. Don't step outside today."

Josh agreed, and even Camilla took a day off from her work. It started raining heavily, accompanied by fierce winds. "Thank Goodness I didn't go to school today," sighed Josh as he cozied up on his bed, staring outside the window.

Suddenly, he noticed the hurricane had ripped off a part of the roof of Frank's house. Josh ran to the older man's rescue, ignoring his mother's alarmed shrieks to stop him.

"Mister? Mister, please open the door. You need to come out. A part of your roof has been damaged, and it's raining heavily. Please come out," he shouted, wildly banging on Frank's door.

Josh looked around for help, but all his neighbors had locked themselves in their homes. And even if they'd known Frank was in trouble, he doubted they would have come to his rescue.

"Please open the door. You need to come out quickly," Josh kept shouting, but Frank did not respond. Camilla kept calling the boy back. She was scared. To make things worse, it was raining heavily and ferociously, as if there was a war in heaven. Josh pressed his drenched body to Frank's door, knocking repeatedly and shouting out for him.

"I know you are inside. I saw you go into your house an hour ago. Are you alright? Please open the door. Answer me, mister. Please come out."

Josh used all his strength to try and break open the door. Suddenly, Frank opened it. "What do you want?" he grumbled.

"Don't you see? It's raining hard, and I saw a part of your roof being ripped off by the wind. Please come to my house and stay there until the weather calms down."

Frank, who was notoriously known as 'grumpy and rude' and was shunned by his neighbors, was moved to tears. He could not believe somebody genuinely cared about him and wanted to help. He hesitated. "I can't go. I can't leave something dear to me alone here. It will get destroyed," he cried.

Josh had no idea what Frank was talking about. He grabbed his hand and led him toward his house. "Everything will be fine, don't worry. You can return to your house once the weather clears up," he said.

Frank followed Josh, warm tears flowing down his face along with the raindrops.

"Mom, please give him something warm to drink," said Josh. His mother was visibly upset about having Frank around, but she was comforted that Josh was willing to help the poor man at such a difficult time.

"Do you live alone?" she asked Frank. "Why does nobody talk to you? And why do you always lock yourself inside?"

Frank took his last sip of the tea and pursed his lips, wiping his wet mustache. Tears slowly rose in his eyes as he began talking. "I have a son and a grandson. It's been three years since I last saw them."

"Three years? But what happened?" asked Josh. Camilla was baffled too.

"I had a small misunderstanding with my widowed son Jake. He wanted to go abroad, but I disagreed. I feared I would lose him and my grandson forever. We argued, and as a result, he stormed out of my house with his son. He snatched my happiness when he went away and stopped talking to me after that," revealed Frank.

"I am so sorry this happened to you. But you must know —Tomorrow is always uncertain, and our life is very short. You don't know what might happen tomorrow. Please reconcile with your son before it is too late," advised Camilla.

Frank felt his hope in life restored for the first time in three years. As soon as the weather cleared up, he took Camilla and Josh to his house to show them something.

"This is why I never allowed anybody inside my house," he cried, pointing his finger at a faint corner of his house. Camilla and Josh were moved to tears after seeing what it was.

"During my free time, I gathered wooden planks and waste plastic and made a toy train set for my grandson, Dave. I did not want the kids here to play with it because I feared they would ruin it," said Frank.

It turned out that Frank had been waiting for his son and grandson to visit him someday. He could not afford to buy an expensive gift for his grandson, so he crafted a handmade toy train set to surprise him. Frank never allowed anyone inside to protect this gift. Fortunately, it was undamaged in the hurricane.

Later, Josh and Camilla shared what they'd found in Frank's house with their neighbors. Everyone sympathized with him and regretted calling him names behind his back. They teamed up and fixed his damaged roof as a token of apology. Meanwhile, another tear-jerking surprise was in store for Frank when he least expected it.

A few days later, Jake returned home with his son after seeing the news about the hurricane in his father's town. "Dad, I'm glad you are alright. I'm so sorry," he cried. Frank could not hold back his tears after seeing his son and grandson. "I'm so sorry for taking three long years to apologize, son," he sobbed, hugging them.

Frank finally gave his handmade toy train set to his grandson. It brought more tears to his eyes and soothed his heart. He smiled and waved at Josh and Camilla from his doorstep, thanking them through tears of joy for helping him realize the importance of reconciling with loved ones before it's too late.

What can we learn from this story?

• It is better to apologize to our loved ones before it is too late. Frank apologized to his son, with whom he had a fallout three years ago, after his new neighbor Camilla advised him of the importance of saying sorry to loved ones before it was too late.
• Do not jump to conclusions about someone. The neighbors labeled Frank rude and grumpy, knowing little why he never allowed anybody inside his house. As it turned out, Frank strived to protect the handmade toy train he was waiting to gift his grandson.

A young girl pays a surprise visit to her grandfather's house after five years and finds it deserted and decorated for a party that never happened. 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.