Twins Got Old Hockey Table from Widowed Dad for Xmas, Years Later It Helped Save His Life — Retro Story

While a widowed father rummaged through the old toys in his attic, his childhood hockey table caught his attention. He pulled it out and cleaned it, unaware that the antique table would help save his life years later.

Matthew was a loving father of twin girls and a caring husband who lost his wife a month before Christmas. She had been in the hospital for months, fighting between life and death, when the doctors suddenly told Matthew his wife was no more.

The news of her death broke his heart, and his daughters, Dakota and Chelsea, couldn't believe their mother had left them so soon. Matthew had consulted the best doctors in town for his wife's treatment and had exhausted all his savings, but he felt helpless in front of fate's plans.

Two days before Christmas, Matthew thought he should get a gift for Dakota and Chelsea. The girls were still grieving their mother's death and missed her terribly, so he thought they would cheer up on getting presents.

But I don't have enough money to buy them anything, Matthew thought to himself. Instead of buying new toys, Matthew thought he should search the attic for a gift.

The attic in Matthew's house was full of toys from his childhood. There were many model cars and stuffed toys, each with a memory attached that put a smile on his face.

While going through his toys, Matthew turned his head and noticed the hockey table sitting in the corner of the room. It was covered with a layer of dust, but the memories of him playing hockey on it with his siblings were still fresh.

When Matthew was young, his father bought this table from a flea market for a few bucks. Every day after school, Matthew and his brothers would play table hockey for hours and compete to score the most goals.

The widowed father smiled while looking at the table and knew exactly what to gift his daughters this Christmas. He quickly pulled the table out from the corner and fetched a cloth to clean it.

"Now it looks good!" Matthew said after he had cleaned the table. Then, he pulled out their artificial Christmas tree from last year and cleaned a few of his old toys that his daughters would love.

Later that evening, Matthew went to the nearby store and bought a few Xmas wrapping sheets at a discount. After his daughters went to bed, he wrapped the hockey table and toys in the wrapping sheet. He was ready to surprise his girls on Christmas Eve.

"Wow, Dad! This table is so cool!" Dakota exclaimed upon unwrapping the hockey table on Christmas Eve.

"Thank you, Dad!" Chelsea said. "Will you teach us how to play?"

"Sure, girls," Matthew hugged his daughters. "Let's play a game together!"

Matthew and his daughters spent the evening playing table hockey. He also told them he loved playing the game with his brothers and sisters when he was a kid.

Without spending money, Matthew cheered his daughters up on Christmas after they had lost their mother. It was the twins' first Christmas without their mom, but Matthew ensured his daughters had a good time.

As the girls grew older, they enjoyed playing table hockey and invited their friends to table hockey tournaments. Since the table was decades old, the twins' friends considered it an antique piece and loved playing on it.

Soon after the girls' sixteenth birthday, Matthew suddenly fell ill. When he went to the hospital, the doctor prescribed him medicines for a life-threatening condition, but he didn't have enough money to buy them.

"Dad, what will you do now?" Dakota asked her father. "How will we buy these medicines? The doctor said you must take them for at least three months."

"Don't worry, girls," Matthew smiled at his daughters. "We will find a solution."

At that point, Matthew had only a week's supply of medicines, and he had no idea how he would buy more. He told his daughters not to worry so they wouldn't feel stressed thinking about him.

Before going to bed, Dakota told her sister she had found a way to buy medicines for Matthew.

"Chelsea, I know exactly what we can do!" Dakota said.

"What should we do?"

"We have so many things in our house. Why don't we sell some of them and use that money to buy Dad's medicines?"

"You're right, Dakota. We can do that. But there's all kinds of stuff in here... what should we sell?"

Then, the girls looked around the house, and Dakota suddenly exclaimed, "Chelsea! The hockey table!"

"You remember what my friend said about Dad's hockey table the last time she came over?" Dakota said. "She told me this table is worth a lot of money because it is a collector's item. Hockey fans would pay us enough to cover Dad's medical expenses."

"Really?" Chelsea's eyes widened. "If that's true, then we should post an ad in the newspaper and see how people respond."

The next day, Dakota and Chelsea secretly left the house when Matthew was asleep and asked the local newspaper to publish their ad. Then, the girls waited for a day until people began contacting them for the table.

"I wasn't expecting so many buyers, Dakota," Chelsea said. "Your idea was perfect!"

Two days after posting the ad, a former hockey player contacted the girls and said he was interested in buying the table. He even agreed to pay the price they had asked.

"I stopped playing hockey after my leg injury," he told the girls. "Since then, table hockey has kept me going; even my children love playing it. When should I come to pick the table?"

"You can come tomorrow," Dakota told him.

Later that night, the girls cleaned the table and put a note inside it to tell the former hockey player about their father and thank him for buying the table.

The next day, the girls sold the table and got the money they needed for their father's treatment. Then, they surprised Matthew with the medicines and told him how they got the money.

"Thank you so much, girls!" Matthew hugged his daughters. "I don't know what I would have done without you both."

A week later, the doorbell rang in the evening, and Dakota answered. Her eyes widened when she saw the man standing at the entrance.

"Hi! Remember I bought the hockey table from you last week?" the man asked.

"Yes, I remember your face," Dakota replied, but she still wasn't sure why the former hockey player had returned. Did the table break? Is he going to ask for his money back? Dakota wondered.

"Well, I came here to return your hockey table," he said.

"But why? Is there something wrong?" Dakota asked worriedly. She could feel her heart pound.

"No, I can't keep the table anymore. I read the note you left inside it."

"Why don't you want to keep it?"

"After learning that this table belongs to your father and that he gifted it to you on Christmas after your mom's death, I think you girls deserve to keep it," the man smiled. "This table symbolizes your father's love, and I cannot take it away from you."

"Umm... but we can't return your money," Dakota said while looking at the ground. "We spent it on buying Dad's medicines."

"Don't worry, Dakota! I won't ask you for the money," the man said. "I wish your father recovers real soon! Take care of him."

The man left after handing the hockey table to Dakota. The girls couldn't believe what had just happened and told their father about it.

"He is such a kind man!" Matthew said.

As time passed, Matthew's health improved, and soon, he was back on his toes. He lived long enough to see his daughters get married and have children. Decades later, Matthew taught his grandchildren how to play table hockey, on the same old table that once saved his life.

What can we learn from this story?

• We don't always need to buy expensive gifts. Matthew didn't have enough money to buy new gifts for his daughters, but he had love and care that he invested in cheering them up. Sometimes, it's the thought that counts.
• Money isn't the most valuable thing. The hockey player returned the table because he thought his money wasn't valuable enough to buy it. He thought the table was priceless because of the memories and emotions attached to it.

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

A stranger gifted a stroller to a poor woman crying at a flea market. Upon looking inside, the mother found a $125K check. Click here to read the entire 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.