Lonely Oldie Opens Door on Xmas Eve and Sees Little Girl Saying 'Follow Me Please' – Story of the Day

Dexter devoted his whole life to his business and never had a family, so he always spent Christmas alone. But one Xmas Eve, he had a tiny visitor in pigtails in his doorway. "Please follow me," she said sweetly, and Dexter couldn't refuse.

While the snow descended from dark skies, blanketing the entire city, Dexter sat in his rocking chair by the fireplace that evening, listening to a melody on his old gramophone. It was Christmas again, but Dexter never had visitors or any Christmas tree in his house.

Years ago, Dexter was an ambitious man who put everything else on the back burner except his career. He built a vast estate, expanding his business overseas, but he never gave time to love, so he didn't have a family.

While Dexter was lost in the melody that day, a loud knock on the door distracted him. He opened his eyes and sat there for a moment, silent. He never had visitors, and one on Christmas eve was certainly strange…

Dexter slowly got up from his armchair, grabbed his cane, and walked to the door. When he opened it, he saw a little girl in two pigtails standing in his doorway. She was staring at him with big blue eyes.

"Oh! Hello there, little miss," he said. "Who are you? And what are you doing here in the cold?"

The little girl was shivering. "I… I'm Mary," she said. "Are you the old man who lives alone in this house? The one with gray hair?"

Sometimes, doing charity may not be the best way to help a person in need.

"Gray?" asked Dexter, touching the knitted cap he was wearing on his head. "Oh, yes, yes, I'm the one. Do you know me?"

Mary nodded. "Yes, I do! Can you please help me, sir?"

"Well, oh, are you alone?" he asked. "How did you get here?"

"Mommy needs help, and I need help too… follow me please!" she requested innocently.

Dexter didn't understand why the girl came to his house, asking for help, but he didn't want to refuse her. He grabbed his coat from the rack beside the door and followed her.

"Would you mind holding my hand, little miss?" he asked. "It's snowing, and this old man walks slowly!"

Mary grabbed Dexter's hand and smiled. "Oops! Sorry!" she chuckled.

The little girl then led Dexter to a house several blocks away. Unlike other homes in the area, that house barely had any Christmas decorations or lights, which struck odd to Dexter.

"Is this where you live, Mary?" asked Dexter. "Where's your mommy?"

"Mommy went to get firewood!" she said. "We don't have lights in our house."

"Why are you and your mommy living in a dark house, honey?"

Mary pressed her lips together and stared down into her lap. "Because Daddy left us. Mommy says we have to pay a lot of money to other people, but we don't have any money. So we don't have lights in our house. She also told me not to leave the house, but I wanted help…"

"Do you mean your mommy has debts to pay?" asked Dexter.

"I don't know…" said Mary. "But I knew you would help us! Can you please help me put up the garland on our door? I want our house to have a garland! It's Christmas!"

"And why did you think I would help you, Mary? I don't know how you know me, child."

Mary smiled broadly. "Your gray hair!" she chirped. "You know, my Grampa had gray hair too, and he was the sweetest! He helped everyone. Then the angels took him away… I pass by your house when I play in the park, and you're always alone. You're like Grampa, and I knew you would help me!"

Tears came to Dexter's eyes as Mary said that. He had never had a lover, let alone a grandchild, and here this little girl was comparing him to her grandfather.

"Oh well," said Dexter. "Let's put on that garland then! It's Christmas!"

Dexter didn't realize when the Christmasy spirit filled his heart, and he decided to decorate Mary's house with her. He felt awful that she didn't have any electricity at home on the special day, so he came up with an idea.

He waited until Mary's mother was home and, later, took them to his home to celebrate Christmas.

"You… you really didn't have to do this, Dexter. I'm sorry Mary bothered you!" said Mary's mother, Caroline.

Dexter smiled and said, "Never has it happened that I have celebrated Christmas, darling. I always lived alone, no family. But today, after meeting Mary, I realize how important it is for one to have loved ones around you. Can you please do it for my sake? I'd love to treat you and Mary to dinner, but I don't know how to cook… How about a pizza party?" he asked.

"Oh…" Caroline said shyly. "I can cook. In fact, I made dinner at home. How about we have that?"

"Perfect!" Dexter said.

So that Christmas eve, Mary, Caroline, and Dexter enjoyed a lovely dinner at Dexter's home. Later, Dexter learned that Caroline's husband had left her with a lot of debts, which she couldn't pay off, and he wanted to help her. He knew the mother-daughter duo wasn't in good financial shape, but Caroline was hesitant to take his help, so he found other ways.

Dexter hired Caroline as her cook and helped her clear her debts, saving her dignity and giving her work instead of charity. Not to mention, they've become family since that day.

What can we learn from this story?

• Sometimes, doing charity may not be the best way to help a person in need. Caroline was too shy to take Dexter's help, so he gave her work instead of charity.
• A kind heart that gives love also receives love. Dexter helped Mary without expecting anything in return, and that help came back to him in the form of love.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a lonely janitor who made Christmas bright for a little girl he met at a Christmas fair and then disappeared forever.

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.