Lawyer Adopts Homeless Lady with Memory Problems, One Day His Client Recognizes Her — Story of the Day

A kind lawyer embraces an older lady suffering from memory loss after he has no idea how to trace her family or friends. But things take an unexpected turn after one of his clients recognizes her.

William was sitting on the curb outside a crowded New York café filled with guilt and hatred. He was crying severely as he remembered his mother, Janice, who had passed away the night before.

"I'm sorry, mom," he whispered to himself in tears. "I was a terrible son. I was so caught up with work that I didn't pay enough attention to you. I'm sorry..."

That morning, William had attended Janice's funeral. She had passed away from a heart attack, and he wasn't there for her when she breathed her last. That shattered him on the inside.

Only a few days ago, she had complained about her health, and he had promised to pay her a visit soon. But fate had different plans for them, and she died before they could meet.

Love has the power to mend even the most broken hearts.

Overcome with emotions, William hugged his knees as he sobbed. Suddenly, he felt something around his shoulders and looked up to see a very old woman wrapping her jacket around him.

"Oh, honey, it's been so cold lately. Young people are irresponsible and don't even know how to take care of themselves! Your mama would hate to see you like that!" she scolded him gently.

William's tears continued to fall as he saw her kind smile. "She died," he said softly. "My mother... she passed away last night."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," gasped the older woman. "Is that why you're so sad? How about you tell me about it?"

So the older woman, Caramel, sat down on the curb beside William, ready to talk.

"Nothing will change," William said bitterly. "I wasn't there for Mom when she needed me. She had given her all to raise me. I was a bad son."

"I'm sure you weren't," said Caramel confidently. "If you were, you wouldn't be here crying and remembering her. You loved her, darling. I can see it in your eyes."

Caramel's words soothed William's heart slightly. Perhaps he did need to talk to her, he thought.

"I'm William," he added. "Thank you for your kind words, ma'am. I already feel better."

"Oh," she smiled. "Call me Caramel. 'Ma'am' makes me feel old. I am just a few years older than you!"

The silly smile on Caramel's wrinkly face made William smile and temporarily forget his worries. She was a really kind soul, he thought.

"I guess I'll head home now, Caramel," he said as he rose to his feet and helped her to stand. "Thank you for your help. And, yes, this jacket is unnecessary. Keep it with you. Have a wonderful day."

"Don't mention it, young man," she smiled as she waved him bye.

William returned home with a calmer heart than before. He still cried when he sat at his work desk and looked at his mother's photo, but Caramel's words, "You were a good son," soothed him.

The next day before heading to work, William bought a lovely bouquet of roses and decided to visit Janice. As he was crossing the café, he saw Caramel there. She was sitting outside in the same dress she had worn the day before.

"Hey, Caramel!" William approached her. "I didn't expect to see you here again!"

She looked at him, puzzled. "Do I know you, honey?"

He smiled. "Stop kidding, Caramel. We met yesterday, and you offered me your jacket! Remember?"

"We met?" she said quietly. "I don't know what I'm doing here. Can you please take me home, son?"

Looking at Caramel's condition, William realized something was off. She had no recollection of their meeting.

"Hey, Caramel, are you ok? Alright, I'll take you home. Do you live around here?" he asked, and she went blank.

"I live…I—I don't remember, son," she replied with a worried look.

"That's ok. I'll take you home, alright?" William understood she had memory issues. He skipped visiting Janice that day because he decided Caramel needed him more. He took her home, prepared her a warm meal, and offered her a comfortable space to retire.

Later, he took her to a doctor, and it turned out Caramel had Alzheimer's, which is why she had no memory of their meeting.

William felt sorry for her and decided to help her. As a lawyer, he used his connections to find out more about Caramel's family, but days passed, and he didn't find anything.

Meanwhile, he took her to parks, showed her around the city, and tried to jog her memory by asking her about her family, but nothing worked. She would occasionally tell him she had a family but nothing more.

Feeling terrible for her, William decided to adopt Caramel and make her a part of his family. He had lost his mother, and she had no recollection of her family. He reasoned that they could help each other heal. But one day, everything changed…

William began working from home more frequently because he needed to be near Caramel to care for her.

A client was shocked to see her at his house.

"Mrs. Fisher!" the man, Ronald, said. "What are you doing here? Here in New York? Jesus, it's been a while. I heard about your son… I'm sorry for your loss."

Caramel smiled as she served him and William tea. "I'm Caramel! Oh, why would you call me Mrs. Fisher? I'm just Caramel," she laughed. "I don't have a son, dear. I don't… Do I?"

Ronald frowned. "Don't you remember Oak Valley High School? You were the best teacher we had, Mrs. Fisher! In fact, you were the only teacher who believed in me when others said I would never achieve anything in life. I'm a successful businessman today!"

"Ronald?" Caramel said suddenly. "Is that you, child?"

"Yes!" he said, and she hugged him. "Oh, what a pleasant surprise! My son…" she paused. "Oh, my son, oh no... William, take me home. I need to go home!"

Ronald told William that Caramel's son had died in a car crash, after which she suddenly disappeared. She lived with her son and daughter-in-law, and nobody knew where she went.

He gave William the address of her son's house, which was in another state. William decided to take Caramel to her home, where another surprise awaited them.

As Caramel walked around her house, her son's memories came flooding back to her. "Harry," she whispered in tears. "I miss him, William. Oh, he loved me so much!"

"If you're done, get out!" cried her daughter-in-law. "Don't forget that this is my house, and you're not welcome here."

"NO!" retorted Caramel. "This is MY house! She stole my house from me, William! I remember everything now! She told me to take that train one afternoon, saying we'd go shopping together. But she just left me on the street and disappeared. Oh, I know she did this to get my house! This is MY house!"

"I SAID OUT!" Caramel's daughter-in-law kicked them out of the house and slammed the door in their faces.

"My son's memories are still there in this house! I'm not going to let you take them away!"

Caramel burst into tears and buried her face into William's chest.

Knowing Caramel could be right, William decided to help her. He took the matter to court, and guess what? Caramel won! Her daughter-in-law had illegally taken over the house.

The poor older woman was so happy to be home again. To ensure she wasn't kicked out of her house again, William started visiting her often, and somewhere, after being around Caramel, his heart felt relieved. Maybe they needed each other, which is why they met.

What can we learn from this story?

• When God takes away something, he always gives something in return. Sometimes, that something becomes precious to us. God took away Caramel's son, but He sent her William, who loves and cares for her and is always there to protect her.
• Love has the power to mend even the most broken hearts. William's heart felt relieved after meeting Caramel, and he was able to overcome his grief.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a single mom of 4 who adopts her late best friend's child, only to meet his biological father 13 years later on her doorstep.

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.