Sons Stunned to Find Rich Dad in Care Home, 'She's Why' He Points at Lady There — Story of the Day

Mr. Barker was a lonely widower who lived in a large mansion. After his wife's death, he never thought he'd find love again. However, Mr. Barker soon learns that love has no number after meeting Ann. But their love is tested by Mr. Barker's children.

Mr. Barker was an 83-year-old widower who lost his beloved wife eight years ago. In his earlier days, he was a prominent business tycoon and had worked all his life to be able to provide his wife and children with a life he never had growing up.

However, he had never imagined how lonely he would be in his large mansion all by himself. He had always kept his family first in all his efforts to create wealth and a better future for them. But after his three kids had left home to start their own families and his wife passed on, what used to be his home now felt like a large, cold empty shell.

Mr. Barker often sat alone on his patio and reminisced about the glory days. He would ponder on his busy life as a real estate tycoon. He thought of his many employees and how their families had, at a point, even felt like his own.

He looked at the green pastures of his garden and remembered his children's laughter and joyful chirping as they would play together till the sun went down. Most of all, he thought of his dear wife, Linda, and the love that left him when she passed.

Mr. Barker was always a family and community-based man. So being alone after all these years of building communities and families left an excruciating emptiness within him. The old soul feared he would live out the rest of his days without being able to experience true love again.

Mr. Barker's children barely visited him. And while it broke his heart, he tried to walk in their shoes, understanding that they were at a stage where they were trying to build their own families and careers. They were all flourishing in their professions, and that in itself brought Mr. Barker joy, the knowledge that he and Linda had done right by them.

As Mr. Barker sat on his patio as he usually did, he noticed a new neighbor had moved into one of the poorer regions of his neighborhood. It was funny how some parts of town were set up like that.

On one end of the street, there was wealth and prosperity. Then, not too far from that, there was poverty. Two completely different worlds occupying the same space.

Mr. Barker's neighbor was an elderly lady. He would often watch her busy in her small garden from his patio. He had a crush on the lady, and he grew more curious about the woman each day he watched her. One day, he finally mustered up the courage to approach her.

"Hi, I'm John Barker. I live down the road. You're one of the first houses I see sitting on my patio. Hence, my keen observation."

"Looks like it's coming together," Mr. Barker said.

"Huh?" The lady responded, slightly confused.

"The garden, looks like it's coming together. Forgive my intrusion, but I've been watching you work on this garden for a couple of weeks now. And it's almost unrecognizable from how it was when the last owners lived here," Mr. Barker said, leaning over her small fence.

"Why, thank you, sir. It's one of the first things I noticed when my daughter and I moved in. I've always enjoyed gardening. It brings me peace. Plus, I've never been one to be afraid of getting their hands dirty. Can't say it does much for my knees, though," the lady said, getting up.

"Hi, I'm John Barker. I live down the road. You're one of the first houses I see sitting on my patio. Hence, my keen observation," Mr. Barker said, holding out his hand for a handshake.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Barker. I'm Ann. So, I must ask. Is the garden the only thing you've been so keenly observing?" Ann said with a sly smirk as they shook hands over the fence. Mr. Barker said nothing. He just blushed as they gazed into each other's eyes for a brief moment that seemed to stretch into forever.

After that day, Mr. Barker would come over every day and help Ann with her garden. On some days, they wouldn't even do anything. They'd just talk, laugh, or even sit together silently, simply watching life happen within and around them. They would watch the sunset in complete silence, grateful for every second they had to share.

Mr. Barker and Ann soon fell in love. It was a weird experience for both of them. Both of them had lost their counterparts some years back, and now, here they were, falling head over heels for each other like a couple of teenagers.

A few months had passed, and Mr. Barker felt it was time for him to finally introduce Ann to her children. She had become such an integral part of his life and happiness. He didn't want to hide her like some sort of shameful secret.

However, he was afraid to tell his children. After all, what would they think? An 83-year-old man falling in love like a child? Surely he was too old for such things. He was in quite a predicament.

He contemplated how he would do it, but as fate would have, everything was already set to be revealed. One day, as Ann and Mr. Barker were working on the garden at Ann's house, his three sons unexpectedly showed up for a visit.

Mr. Barker saw them in the distance at his front gate. He kissed Ann goodbye and went over to them. His children were curious about the woman he was with. He simply introduced her as a friend. His children weren't completely sold on his story, so they pressed him for answers.

"Dad, what's your relationship with the lady we saw outside?" Mr. Barker's son, Bobby, asked.

"I was hoping I would have had more time to figure out how to tell you guys. But, as they say, there's no time like the present. Ann lives down the road, and we've been dating for a couple of months now," Mr. Barker confessed.

"You're dating? That's crazy, dad! You're 83!" Mr. Barker's son, Tom, remarked.

"I know how old I am, Tom. Does that make my happiness redundant?" Mr. Barker replied calmly.

"It's just a little odd, that's all," Mr. Barker's other son, Clyde, added.

"Well, since we are having the conversation. I love her, and we are going to move in together," Mr. Barker explained.

"Dad, you can't do that," Bobby insisted.

"Oh, really?! well, good thing I wasn't asking for your permission," Mr. Barker said firmly. "Look, things haven't been easy since your mother's passing, and all you kids have your own lives now. I'm just trying to do the same. I hope you understand," Mr. Barker concluded.

Unfortunately, his children did not understand. They thought their father was being ridiculous and had lost his mind. They decided they would take matters into their own hands and get rid of Ann.

They tracked Ann's daughter, Gina, down and set their hearts on using Gina and her family's financial troubles as a bargaining chip. Mr. Barker's children offered Gina a large sum of money to place her mother in a nursing home. Desperate for cash, Gina was backed into a corner and finally agreed.

Some time passed, and one day Mr. Barker was devastated to learn that Ann no longer stayed with Gina and had been put into an old age home.

"They came to me and offered me a ridiculous amount of money. They said it was all mine if I put my mother into a nursing home far from here. They obviously didn't want you two together."

"But why would you send her away, Gina? You loved staying with your mother, and she loved staying with you," a heartbroken Mr. Barker asked Gina.

"I did. I love my mother with all my heart. But I simply couldn't afford to support the both of us anymore. When I got offered the mon—" Gina said before stopping dead in her tracks, fearing she had revealed too much.

"Money? Who offered you money, Gina?" Mr. Barker asked. Gina said nothing, shamefully attempting to avoid eye contact with Mr. Barker.

"Please, Gina. You know I love your mother. Just tell me what happened. Maybe I can help," Mr. Barker pleaded.

"Help? Your sons were the ones that offered me the money," Gina confessed.

"My sons? I don't understand," said a confounded Mr. Barker.

"They came to me and offered me a ridiculous amount of money. They said it was all mine if I put my mother into a nursing home far from here. They obviously didn't want you two together," Gina said.

"And you agreed?" Mr. Barker asked, growing angry.

"What was I supposed to do? The money allowed me to put her in a home where she'd be good and well taken off. Plus, it would help me get some of my own affairs in order. I don't know if you've noticed Mr. Barker, but unlike you and your family, things haven't been easy for us," Gina said.

Mr. Barker was taken aback by Gina's words. A part of him was still mad, but his anger wasn't towards her. It was towards his children who had gone out of their way to tear him away from his happiness after everything he had done and sacrificed for them.

"Don't worry, Gina. I know you meant well. I'll handle it," Mr. Barker concluded.

Mr. Barker first went to the nursing home to visit his dear Ann. While the home was pretty comfortable, Ann missed her old home. She missed her daughter, her garden, and most of all, she missed spending time with him.

Mr. Barker explained to Ann what her children had done, but he promised her he would get things back to normal in no time. He had a plan; it just needed a bit of time.

About a week later, Mr. Barker's lawyer called in all his children to discuss a change in their father's will. Mr. Barker's children were dumbfounded, even more so because Mr. Barker himself had never attended the meeting.

That day, Mr. Barker sat on his patio watching the sunset as he thought of Ann. Beside him, he had his tablet with the live camera footage of the front gate. He suddenly heard the bell ring from inside and saw his children parked at the gate. "Right on time," he thought. His children burst into the patio with sheer outrage.

"Have you lost your mind, dad?" Bobby barked.

"You cut us out of your will?" Tom added.

"We're your children, dad. Why would you do that?" Clyde chimed in.

"Why would I do that? Well, firstly, it's my money. I can do whatever I want with it. What I'm curious about is: why would you do that to Ann? Why would you do that to me?" Mr. Barker asked calmly.

"Uhm... W—wh—what exactly are you talking about, dad?" Bobby nervously asked, his brothers sheepishly retreating behind him.

"Oh, please. Don't play the fool, Bobby. I sent you to some of the best schools money can buy. I would hate for it to have been a waste. Now... I'll ask you all again. Why did you do it?" Mr. Barker repeated.

"I'm sorry, dad! We thought we were helping," Clyde said, breaking into a teary confession.

"After mom, it just didn't make sense to us," Tom added.

"My happiness doesn't make sense to you?" Mr. Barker asked, almost in tears.

"I'm sorry, dad. We didn't know she meant that much to you," Bobby said, ashamed.

"Yeah. It didn't make sense. You being in love at your age," Clyde added.

"Oh, my dear children. Have your mother, and I taught you nothing? Love has no age," Mr. Barker said, getting up. "You kids broke my heart," Mr. Barker said, looking each of them in the eyes. "You can show yourselves out now," Mr. Barker simply said, entering the house and leaving them all in shame.

Mr. Barker's sons returned a few days later to try and apologize, but when they got to their father's mansion, they learned he no longer lived there. Mr. Barker had moved into the nursing home with Ann.

They visited him at the nursing home to confront him about moving out. They found him comfortably cuddled up with Ann and asked for a few words with him, to which he responded, "Anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of her."

As they told him all the reason's he was making the biggest mistake of his life, their ignorance once again defeated Mr. Barker.

"Have you lost your mind? What are you doing here?" Bobby said.

"You still don't get it, do you? I have more common sense than I've ever had before. She's why," Mr. Barker said, pointing to Ann.

"After your mother passed, I never thought I'd find love again. But, by God's grace, I did. And it doesn't matter where we are. We just want to be together. Is that so wrong?" a heartfelt Mr. Barker concluded.

It took a few weeks, but when Mr. Barker's children saw how he left every comfort to keep living with the woman he adored, they eventually understood that their father loved Ann and was set on being with her.

With time, they visited their father more frequently and treated Ann as part of the family. Ann and Mr. Barker moved into the mansion together, and Gina moved into the cottage in the backyard.

Their father reinstated their inheritances, and they were all a family again. His children even grew to love Ann as she became somewhat of a mother figure for them.

What can we learn from this story?

• Love does not have a number or expiry date. It seemed ridiculous for Ann and Mr. Barker to be in love in their old age, but they still found each other regardless of the odds.
• Don't insist on your own way, especially if it oppresses another person. Mr. Barker's children insisted on what they wanted for Mr. Barker even though it stripped him of his joy.

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 an old man who stages his death to determine who will be heir among his family, only to eventually leave everything to the orphan boy next door.

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.