Older Man Buys Meal for Homeless Woman, Recognizes Daughter He Lost a Decade Ago — Story of the Day

Outside a supermarket, a homeless woman approached an elderly man and asked him for food. A few minutes later, he returned with a pack of food, but when the woman raised her head to thank him, he felt his heart pound. He instantly recognized who she was.

"Dad, you can't stop me from moving in with my boyfriend. I am not a kid anymore!" Judith yelled at her father.

"Look, Judith. That boy is a bad influence on you," her father, George, said. "You deserve to be with someone much better than him, sweetheart. Trust me."

"No, Dad. You're wrong," Judith said. "I'm going to move in with him soon. I love him, and he has the same feelings for me."

After George lost his wife a year ago, he found it difficult to raise his daughter alone. She was a rebellious girl who had just turned 18, and she never listened to George.

Every day, Judith would argue with him over something or the other, and George tried his best to teach his little girl what was right, but she never listened. She wanted to move out and live independently so her father wouldn't interfere in her life.

The following day, George woke up and knocked on Judith's door to wake her up for school. She would always scream, "I'm awake, Dad!" but there was no response this time.

"Judith? Are you up?" he asked.

When Judith didn't open the door for a minute, George twisted the doorknob and pushed the door to see where his daughter was. To his surprise, she wasn't sleeping in her bed.

"Are you in there, Judith?" he asked loudly and walked towards the bathroom. "Hey, Judith? Are you taking a shower?"

When his daughter didn't respond, George opened the bathroom door, but Judith wasn't there. Then, he went downstairs and looked for her in the kitchen and drawing room, but she was nowhere to be found.

Suddenly, George felt his heart race. He stared at the woman with his eyes wide open for two seconds before he asked, "Judith? Is that you?"

Where could she have gone? George wondered. It was early in the morning, and he was sure all of Judith's friends must have been preparing to go to school at this time. She wouldn't be at any of her friends' places, he thought to himself.

George left his house and went to the police station. "My daughter's missing. The last time I saw her was yesterday," he told an officer. After filing a missing complaint, George went to Judith's school and asked her friends, but no one knew where she was.

After returning home with no clue of his daughter's whereabouts, George waited for the police to find her. Days turned into weeks, but the police couldn't find out where Judith was.

"She must have gone away to live alone somewhere," they told him. "She will come back soon, don't worry."

As days passed, George began losing hope that his daughter would return. Although he missed her, he never shared his feelings with anyone and continued going to work to divert his mind. He didn't want to think about his daughter and feel sad.

However, whenever George visited a public place, he would look around to see if Judith was there, but he never found her. Eventually, he lost all hope of finding his daughter.

Ten years later, George was walking from home to the nearby supermarket for his monthly groceries when a homeless woman approached him.

"Please give me some food. I'm starving," the woman begged.

George visited the supermarket every month, but this was the first time a beggar had asked him for money. Deep down, he felt terrible for the woman, so he asked her to wait outside.

"I'll get you something to eat. Please wait here," George said before entering the store.

The past ten years had changed George's life significantly. He wasn't as active or happy as he used to be. Losing his daughter had taken a toll on him and had turned him into a fragile grey-haired man. Perhaps, time had softened him a little, too.

After buying food for the beggar, George exited the supermarket and handed the parcel to the woman. "Here you go," he said.

"Thank you so much," she replied and raised her head to look at George.

Suddenly, George felt his heart race. He stared at the woman with his eyes wide open for two seconds before he asked, "Judith? Is that you?"

The homeless woman nodded impatiently and ripped open the food parcel. Then, she pulled out a sandwich from it and began gobbling it. "Slow down. Since when have you not eaten anything?" George asked.

While he felt relieved to see his daughter standing before his eyes, he wanted to know where she had gone ten years ago and how she had become a homeless woman.

"Can you meet me at the café? I need to talk to you," George asked Judith.

"Sure, I will see you there in five minutes," she replied before she continued eating her food.

After George and Judith sat inside a nearby café and ordered two cups of coffee, the man asked his daughter where she had been all these years.

"Dad, I ran away with my boyfriend to another city, and we changed our names so you couldn't find us," Judith said. "I guess I should have followed your advice back then."

"What did he do to you, Judith?" George asked and folded his hands.

"At first, everything was beautiful, Dad. We enjoyed each other's company and would sit together for hours watching movies, chatting, and gazing at the night sky," Judith recalled. "I used to believe I had made the best decision of my life by running away with him."

"But then, he started losing interest in me," she continued. "He used to be out for hours and barely talk to me after returning home. Whenever I would ask him where he had been, he would raise his voice and fight with me bitterly."

"What happened then, Judith?" George asked.

"Then, one day, I caught him cheating on me with a neighbor," Judith covered her face with her hands. "That was the worst day of my life, Dad. He kicked me out when I confronted him, and I didn't have the courage to come back to you."

"You should have called me Judith," George shook his head.

"I couldn't face you, Dad. I was so mean to you back then. I yelled at you and fought with you," Judith said while tears rolled down her cheeks. "After he kicked me out, I was forced to live on the streets and beg for money."

"Oh, Judith! That must be such a terrifying experience," George said.

"It was, Dad. I've been sleeping on the streets all these years," Judith wiped her tears.

"So, when did you come back here? And why didn't you come home?" George asked worriedly.

"I saved up money and recently returned to this city," Judith said. "I came to the house a week ago, but you weren't home. I thought it was a sign from God that you didn't want me in your life, so I began living near this supermarket."

"I would never want you to leave me, Judith!" George stood up and hugged his daughter before they left the café and returned home with their coffees.

Eventually, George helped Judith get her life back on track. It started with buying her new clothes, asking her to get a haircut, and paying for college. He wanted to see his daughter graduate and start working for one of the best firms in town.

"I wish I had reached out to you when my ex kicked me out, Dad," Judith said to her father, "I wouldn't have wasted ten years begging on the streets."

Four years after her new beginning, Judith graduated as the top student in her class and got hired by one of the best companies. Soon, she built a stellar career and lived happily with George until she met a brilliant, kind, and responsible young man who made her believe in love again.

What can we learn from this story?

• Admit your mistakes, and learn from them. After Judith's boyfriend kicked her out, she realized she had made a big mistake by leaving George's house. However, she did admit her mistakes and got her life back on track ten years later.
• Trust your parents. If Judith had listened to her father, she wouldn't have had to beg on the streets and waste a decade of her life. Sometimes, we should listen to our parents because they are wiser than us.

Share this story with your friends and family. It might brighten their day and inspire them.

A waitress gave food to a homeless beggar every day after she recognized his boots from her childhood. Click here to read what happened next.

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.