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Older woman on stairs | Source: Shutterstock
Older woman on stairs | Source: Shutterstock

Single Dad of 3 Helps Older Lady Who Falls Down the Stairs, She Shows Up with a Truck at His Home Later — Story of the Day

Sonali Pandey
May 07, 2024
07:43 A.M.

Adam, a single dad of three, helps an older woman who falls down the stairs, not expecting her to show up at his house the next day. Alice visits him with a truck of items, but even she is unaware of the nasty surprises her gift holds.

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It was a peaceful morning. Adam was on his usual jog at the local park, after which he'd have to head home and drop his children—Amanda, 13, and Jared, 8—to school.

After his wife passed away six years ago, Adam was left alone to care for his children. Thankfully, his eldest daughter, Stacey, 22, would help with the breakfast preparation and getting the kids ready every morning when he's out jogging.

Adam looked at his watch. He'd have to rush home in five minutes. He had finished another round of the park and was ready to leave when the sight of an elderly lady stopped him in his tracks.

She was struggling up the park stairs, and just as she neared the top, she lost her footing and tumbled back down, rolling awkwardly.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Shutterstock

For illustration purposes only | Source: Shutterstock

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"Ma'am!" Adam sprinted over to the woman, worried. "Are you OK?"

"I'm fine; it was just a little fall," she replied, but Adam knew she wasn't fine. She was wincing in pain and limping as she tried to walk. He offered to call the ambulance, but she refused.

"Please, let me walk you home," he said, offering his arm to her, and she agreed.

They began to chat on their way to her home, and the woman introduced herself as Alice. She revealed she was recently widowed after losing her husband, Frank. He was crossing the street one evening, and a car just hit him. The driver took off, and they never caught who did it.

Adam knew how it felt to lose a loved one and he opened up to Alice about his wife, too. As they reached Alice's home, she thanked him and asked for his address. "I just want to send you a little something for your kids, and thank you," she said.

Adam hesitantly gave her his address and hurried home to his children.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Shutterstock

For illustration purposes only | Source: Shutterstock

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The next morning, Stacey's voice startled Adam awake. "Dad! Quick! Something weird's happening outside!"

Rubbing his eyes, Adam approached the bedroom window and spotted a moving truck parked near his driveway. When he stepped outside, he was surprised to see Alice beside the truck.

"Alice, what is all this?" he asked, approaching her.

"A little gift from me to thank you for your kindness," she said, patting the truck. "Driving it here was a little tedious, but well, now it's here. This truck belonged to my late husband. He was in a business that helped families move. Sadly, he passed away right after a big job. He was supposed to transport a family's belongings to another state," she paused. "They never returned for their things, and all their furniture and belongings stayed with me. I want you to have it…You can sell everything or may do with them as you please."

Adam wanted to refuse her, but Alice's gift could ease his financial worries, so he accepted her gift. After she left, he and his children began to look through the things.

"This sofa could sell for $700, Dad!" Stacey said, examining an old sofa.

"Yep, that's a nice couch!" Adam agreed. Suddenly, his eyes rested on a closed safe.

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For illustration purposes only | Source: Shutterstock

For illustration purposes only | Source: Shutterstock

"Woah, what do you think is inside, Dad?" Jared asked as Adam inspected it from outside.

"That's none of our business, Jared!" Stacey replied firmly. "Dad, you should return it. It's someone else's!"

Adam told his children he would return it. But he had something else in mind. As Stacey left to drop off Jared and Amanda at school, Adam began thinking of ways to open the safe.

He carried it to the garage and used a crowbar, but it wouldn't open. He borrowed a plasma cutter from his neighbor, but that didn't help, either. Out of options, Adam grabbed his phone and looked up a local specialist who could help him open the safe.

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At the specialist's office, Adam lied that he didn't have a key to unlock the safe. Then he led the specialist to his car and opened the trunk to reveal it.

"You heard about the big heist three weeks back, right?" the specialist asked, looking at the safe suspiciously. "Some local millionaire's house was turned upside down."

For illustration purposes only | Source: Shutterstock

For illustration purposes only | Source: Shutterstock

"Heist? No, no, I haven't," Adam swallowed thickly, confused.

"You sure?" The man was now looking at him curiously. "The cops have been all over it…"

Adam had no idea what the specialist was talking about but he would soon learn the significance of the safe.

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It turned out the whole town was buzzing about a big robbery, and right in the thick of it was Frank, Alice's late husband. Frank was no mover. In fact, he was living a double life. For 46 years, he'd been nailing heists, never getting caught.

After each big score, Frank would tell Alice he was off on a long job in another state. But in reality, he robbed people and lived the grand life in cities like Miami and Las Vegas. And Frank didn't do the job alone. He had a crew—Dylan, 34, Ken, 42, and Mike, 48. The last robbery Frank pulled off was at 64, after which he wasn't supposed to return to a life of crime. But he did.

He and his gang met at a bar one night, 10 years after Frank had decided to quit. They were going to rob a millionaire. Frank didn't want to accompany his crew, but they talked him into it.

"There are 25 gold bars in the millionaire's safe, Frank! Just imagine the money we'll get," Ken said. "So…are you with us?"

The thought of all the money changed Frank's mind, and he agreed.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Shutterstock

For illustration purposes only | Source: Shutterstock

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A few days later, the gang rented a house near the millionaire Mr. Harrison's estate. Dylan was supposed to play the role of a good neighbor and get to know Mr. Harrison. Ken and Mike joined Dylan in the house, but they weren't allowed to leave it. They were there to help Dylan dig a tunnel from the basement of their home to the basement of Mr. Harrison's estate.

After working carefully every night for two months, the tunnel was ready, and it was time for the next move. One day, Dylan informed the neighbors that he was moving out. He told everyone he had gotten a new job.

But before Dylan left, taking advantage of his friendship with Mr. Harrison, he spiked the older man's drink with a specific poison that couldn't be traced in the bloodstream. He had visited him to celebrate his new job and instead killed him. Thanks to the poison, the autopsy report ruled Mr. Harrison's demise a natural death, citing the cause to be a heart attack.

After Mr. Harrison's sudden death, cops patrolled his estate to prevent any marauders from ransacking it. During one of those nights, Ken, Mike, and Dylan snuck into Mr. Harrison's house through the underground tunnel and took his safe to their house.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Shutterstock

For illustration purposes only | Source: Shutterstock

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"Now we make sure we cover our tracks," Ken said. They worked with a frenzy, cleaning the dirt, fixing the basement floor, and doing everything they could to hide the tunnel's existence.

"We good?" Dylan asked after a while, scanning the basement.

"Looks like we were never here," Mike confirmed, nodding.

The next day, as per their plan, Frank arrived at the rented house in his truck. Everyone thought it was a regular move. Frank was supposed to take the safe to a neighboring state, and he insisted on doing it alone. Nobody could guess that Frank had a different plan. He parked the truck at a spot not far from his house.

A month before the robbery, Frank had made fake documents for himself. This time, he had planned on deceiving Ken, Mike, and Dylan, along with Alice, who thought he would be away helping another family move. In reality, Frank would be fleeing to Mexico with all the gold from the safe.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Shutterstock

For illustration purposes only | Source: Shutterstock

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It was his bad luck that his mates learned about it, and the day after the robbery, they killed him and made it look like a hit-and-run case.

"I know everything about the robbery and this goddamn safe!" said the specialist. "So I know it was stolen from Mr. Harrison's house…"

The specialist reached for his phone to call the police, but Adam couldn't let him do that. Without thinking, he grabbed the baseball bat from his car's trunk and swung it hard, hitting the specialist on his head. The man crumpled to the ground, out cold.

Adam, now breathing heavily, looked up at the security camera. Damn it! His face was recorded. He quickly got into his car and drove home. On the way, he called Stacey.

"I'll be home soon, honey. Be ready. As soon as I come, we leave for Amanda's and Jared's school and then leave the town with them!"

"Dad, what's going on?" Stacey asked worriedly.

"I'll explain everything later. Just be ready," he replied and hung up.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

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As Adam arrived home, he and Stacey grabbed a few necessary things. Then he transferred the safe from his car to the truck, and he and Stacey headed to his kids' school.

Adam parked the truck outside the school and asked Stacey to collect the kids. He sat in the car, waiting. About 10 minutes later, Stacey returned alone. "Dad! They're not there!"

"What?" Adam's heart sank, and his mind raced with negative thoughts. Suddenly, his phone rang. It was an unknown number.

"I have your children, and if you want them alive, bring the safe to the address I'm going to text you. Don't even try to act smart!" said a cold voice that Adam didn't recognize. Then the line went dead.

"Hello? Hello?"

For illustration purposes only | Source: Shutterstock

For illustration purposes only | Source: Shutterstock

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Adam was stuck. Even if he returned the safe, there was no guarantee the kidnapper would return his kids alive. Adam could either abandon his children and run away with the safe or surrender to the cops. When he looked into Stacey's terrified eyes, he got the answer he needed.

Adam called the cops and told them everything. He was arrested, and within an hour, the cops tracked down Amanda's and Jared's kidnappers. They were none other than Ken, Mike, and Dylan. The good thing was that the kids were safe.

In the end, everyone paid for what they had done. While Adam would serve seven years, Ken, Mike, and Dylan were slammed with 30 years each in prison.

Adam's image was tainted after what happened, but he knew he would make things right once he was done with prison. He would start fresh, like a good father.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Shutterstock

For illustration purposes only | Source: Shutterstock

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Tell us what you think about this story, and share it with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.

If you enjoyed reading this story, you might like this one about a gang who mocked a plus-size woman at a beach. Little did they know she would teach them an unforgettable lesson.

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.

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