Grandma Raising Grandson Alone Disappears, Boy Is Torn Apart until He Opens Her Closet — Story of the Day

Tom knew he had the best grandmother in the world. When she didn't come home one day, he started looking for clues of where she might be and found something fall out of her closet that brought the boy to tears.

"My birthday is in two days!" Tom shouted joyfully in class, knowing that his voice would only drown in the sea of his classmates' chatter and cheer after a long school day.

Tom studied in the noisiest eighth-grade class known to man. They were bright, spirited children with big dreams, born and raised in different degrees of poverty and adversity.

People liked to call it the 'sketchy' part of town, but it was mostly good-hearted folks who didn't have enough money to repair their broken homes or educate themselves enough. It was the town where most kids learned to do odd jobs before they learned to read.

But not Tom. For a child who belonged to one of the poorest families in the neighborhood, Tom was an unusually pampered child.

"Grandma! They're back! And they're asking for you!"

He was 13, and the only parent he had ever known was his grandmother Wilma.

Tom's parents had both passed away within months of each other before the boy was even four years old. Wilma was a 47-year-old widow then, and she detested the suggestion of well-wishing neighbors and friends to give the boy away to the foster care system.

"You're working two jobs and barely making any money. Plus, you're getting older. How do you think you're going to raise a toddler all over again?" people would ask.

"The boy is the only family I have left. He's the only place I have left to put all my love and affection into. And I don't know how, but I'm going to fulfill all his dreams, big and small!" Wilma would say, kissing baby Tom on the forehead.

And friends and neighbors watched as Wilma worked hard eight days a week to provide for the boy. Right since he was a toddler, she had started saving up for school fees and supplies he would need years later.

Wilma forgot that her body was growing older and her bones were getting weaker. She would neglect as many little pains and aches as she could, not wanting to spend money at the hospital. Wilma also hoped Tom didn't notice her struggle on her feet. "I've got to be strong for my little champion!" she told herself.

By the time Tom reached eighth grade, he was the smartest, most well-behaved kid in class. He hadn't taken up any odd jobs, though he was capable of running an entire household by himself.

But lately, Tom had noticed that she seemed repetitive, forgetful, or incoherent at times. There were days when he opened his lunchbox during recess to find it empty or his grandma's spectacles stuffed in the front pocket of his school bag.

Tom's tender heart would worry silently for his aging grandmother without ever letting it show…

The boy was excited about his upcoming birthday, knowing that his grandmother would bake a delicious sponge cake and they would spend all evening at the park. It was the perfect plan!

Lost in excitement, Tom entered the house alone as always and plunged into the old couch to take his shoes off. But then, something caught his attention, and he felt a pinch of worry in his chest.

Wilma would normally be working her shift at the grocery store at that hour. "But her phone, nametag, and bag are still here…" Tom worried as he noticed her belongings lying on the coffee table.

Her shift would end in an hour, and Tom decided to wait it out, hoping his grandmother would return home safe at the usual time. That was the longest hour of his life, spent pacing back and forth in the house.

An hour turned to two, and she still wasn't home. Tom was beginning to worry until he heard someone at the door. It wasn't Wilma but the cheerful old woman who lived next door.

"Wilma wanted me to tell you that she might get home a bit late today. She said she's left food for you in the fridge," the woman said.

That news should have eased Tom's heart, but he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off. "What if she's not at the store? What if she's… lost?" Tom worried more and more with every passing hour.

Dinnertime went by, but Tom forgot to eat as he sat in bed looking out the window, his eyes glued to the road. As he suddenly noticed the skies getting darker and the street getting emptier, he couldn't suppress his instinct anymore.

"Wilma didn't show up at work today," her boss said on the phone, confirming Tom's fears.

"That's it. I have to find her!" Tom decided and began calling her friends and knocking on neighbors' doors one by one.

Nobody seemed to know where she went that day. While a few elderly neighbors called the cops, Tom ran to the house, looking for any clue that could lead to his beloved grandmother.

He went through the small shelf in the hall and rummaged through the kitchen cabinets. And when he finally got to the closet in the bedroom, a piece of paper fell out of it. It was a newspaper cutting, and at first, Tom couldn't make any sense of it.

"LOVING NEW OWNER WANTED FOR FREE PRE-LOVED BICYCLE," the heading of the ad read.

Some rich man on the other side of town was relocating and wished to find a fitting taker who would own and take care of their precious bicycle as much as they did.

Suddenly, Tom remembered what it was about, and tears rolled down his cheeks as he did.

A week earlier, Tom had been praising how one of his friends at school had bought a bicycle with his own money.

"Adrian helped his uncle at the carwash for a whole year, and he bought that bike with what he had saved," Tom had said with a hint of impatience. "If I could pick up a job somewhere, just for a few hours a week, I could als—"

"Adrian, huh? The boy who loiters around school and got suspended for a whole week recently? Is that the direction we want to take?"

Tom knew Wilma had a point, but he was tired of losing arguments with her.

The truth is, he had been dreaming of owning a bike lately. He never told his grandmother, knowing that she was already stretching herself thin and didn't have that kind of money to spend.

If he could somehow convince her to let him go to work, he could at least try and save and buy himself a bike like Adrian did.

"Why did I even think she would understand!" Tom had thrown his hands in the air and stormed out of the room.

And a week later, his hands trembled with guilt as he realized he was wrong about her…she did understand!

The cops were able to call the number in the ad and confirm that Wilma had been there earlier that day.

"It was so strange," the man who put the ad said. "The poor woman had walked all the way from her neighborhood to my home. She said she didn't have any money, and she wanted to get this bike for her grandson's birthday. She would've walked 20 miles to this place!"

The man had offered to pay for Wilma's cab ride back home, but she politely refused and chose to walk back home.

Just as Tom got into the cop car with the policemen to trace Wilma's path, he saw the familiar silhouette approaching from the end of the street, walking with a bicycle on the side.

"Grandma!" Tom ran into her arms. Wilma was exhausted and a bit taken aback by the cops in front of her door.

"I'm so sorry, darling. I didn't think it would take this long… I wanted to get you this cycle for your birthday… I wanted to surprise you, but I made you worry instead. I'm so sorry, child." She burst into tears holding her precious boy.

"That's alright, grandma! You really didn't have to. I'm just happy you're back!" Tom consoled her and refused to let go of the embrace just yet.

The grandmother and grandson didn't realize that the two policemen were watching the moment of their reunion with misty eyes.

Two days later, Wilma woke up to Tom's nervous voice. "Grandma! They're back! And they're asking for you!"

Wilma put on her glasses and shuffled to the door to find the policemen she had met and thanked a couple of nights ago.

"Good morning, gentlemen. What is this about?" she asked with a polite smile.

The cops smiled back and took a few steps away from each other, revealing something that stood behind them. It was a brand-new car with a bright red bow around it.

"This is yours, ma'am." One of the policemen handed Wilma a key. "A gift from all of us at the precinct."

Wilma was shocked and reluctant to accept the kindness, but the men wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Our job isn't just to catch the bad guys, but to help the good guys, too. And when we told our colleagues what you had done for your grandson, we got the entire department to raise money to buy you this car. You deserve this and much more!" the young officer said.

Tom ran to feel the silky paint of the brand-new vehicle, and exclaimed, "Look, grandma! You got a gift for my birthday, too!"

Wilma teared up and embraced the policemen, thanking them a million times for their unusual kindness.

That evening, Tom and Wilma went to the park as always. But this time, Wilma drove in her new car, and Tom rode on his dream bicycle.

The car remained a supportive companion for the duo for several years. It facilitated many sweetest outings of the grandmother and grandson. It was the first car Tom learned to drive, the one which bore the "Just Married" sign when he married a beautiful woman years later, and the car in which Wilma had the last, most vividly beautiful drive to the beach to watch the final sunset of her life.

What can we learn from this story?

• A grandmother's love is limitless. Wilma went to the extent of walking 20 miles just to get her grandson a bicycle on his birthday.
• Shine the light on the good that's around you whenever you can. The policemen saw Wilma's incredible gesture of love and kindness and decided to do something thoughtful for her.

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 another grandparent who works as a pizza delivery man for the sake of his grandchild, until the 82-year-old receives an unexpected gift from one of his customers.

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.