Old Man Saves Boy from Bullies, Next Day Sees Boy’s Parents on His Porch – Story of the Day

Old Henry saves a young boy from bullies who try to push him into the sewer. The next day, Henry is in his front yard when a luxe car stops outside. He sees the driver exit the car and open the rear door, through which the same boy he rescued steps out and approaches him, this time, with his parents on either side.

Like on any other morning, Henry stopped near the garbage cans and stuffed the trash bags in the dumpster. He lived in the cheapest part of the city, away from the hustle and bustle of the fast life, and he had preferred that life for decades now.

But that morning, as Henry shut the garbage lid and was about to head back inside, he stopped dead in his tracks. He caught sight of two teenagers bullying a young boy across the street. What he witnessed horrified him, to say the least.

"What the hell? What do those lads think they are doing?!" Henry muttered angrily...

"Well, doesn't it smell just like your room in there? Don't you worry, loser! If you're lucky, the rats won't nibble you away!" one of the 14-year-olds chuckled, bringing the young boy to tears.

"No, please! Leave me alone!" The kid, who looked no older than 10, pleaded with the bullies to let him go. But the boys wouldn't stop.

Henry couldn't contain his anger as he saw the teenagers removing the sewer grate and trying to push the boy into the underground drain.

"You brats! Leave that kid alone!" Henry yelled on impulse as he hurried over to the bullies, pushing them away from the young boy. The child quickly hid behind Henry.

"What do you think you are doing, huh?! You want me to call the police, get you locked up?" Henry yelled at the teens. "I hope you're not foolish enough not to realize the consequences of your actions, you idiots!"

Henry intimidated them enough, and the boys got scared and ran away. Glad that the bullies were gone, Henry turned to the little boy, who was shaking in fear.

"Oh hey! Relax! You're OK, kid! You're OK!" Henry knelt in front of the boy. "What were you doing here alone with those boys?"

"I—I'm lost," the young kid replied tremblingly. "And I don't know how to go back."

"Lost?" Henry asked worriedly. "OK, OK, listen to me, kid. Don't worry, alright? I'll help you out. What's your name, by the way? I'm Henry."

"Adam," the boy said as he stopped crying. "Thanks for helping me, Henry."

"No worries, Adam," Henry said. "Now, have you got any ID or something on you? So that I can call your parents, get you home?"

Adam nodded as he removed the school ID from his pocket and gave it to him. "I just want to be with my friends again," he said. "We—we were here on a trip."

"You'll be back with them real soon, kid," Henry said as he studied the card. "This should help us. Now how about you come home with me and have some water? I live right there, you see that house across the street? We can wait there until the police are here to help."

Henry calmed the boy down and took him to his house.

They sat in the living room, and Adam told Henry he had come to this part of the city on a school trip. However, he got separated from his group and had no idea how to find his friends. He was wandering the streets, trying to find his way back, when the two teenagers grabbed him and began bullying him.

"So that's how you got here, I see. Son, you're about 40 miles away from the city you live in," Henry said as he offered the boy a glass of milk. "Even if I did have a car, I couldn't have driven you home. I had surgery last week, you see. But don't worry. I've called the cops and given them my address. They should be here soon to help you out."

Adam and Henry decided to wait for the cops. And when the officers arrived, Henry told them everything.

"Appreciate you calling us and looking after the kid, Mr. Holland. Since we have his ID, tracking his school group shouldn't be a problem," one of the cops informed him. "We've asked the team to start the search immediately."

"Thank you, officer," Henry said. He decided to keep Adam company until the cops found out anything about his friends or family.

Henry waved Adam goodbye as he was taken away in the police cruiser hours later. "Take care, boy!" he said, knowing Adam would reunite with his friends safely. Henry had never expected to see Adam again. But the next day was different.

The next morning, Henry snoozed his alarm clock as he woke up. Then he hurriedly threw on the robe and marched to the kitchen.

Every morning, Henry made himself a cup of black coffee and read the newspaper in the front yard. Having stepped out onto the front porch, he grabbed the newspaper that awaited him and sank into his armchair, reading the news.

But suddenly, the sound of tires crushing gravel outside his home distracted him. Henry looked up to see a luxe car pulling outside his home. He put the coffee cup down and sat up in the chair.

The driver stepped out and opened the car door as a couple exited from the back seat. And with them was…"Adam?" Henry rose to his feet in confusion as the boy dashed up to him.

"Hey there, Henry!"

"What are you doing here, boy?" Henry asked as the couple approached him.

"Hi, we are Adam's parents," the man smiled, extending his hand for a shake. "Sorry for dropping in unannounced. We just couldn't help paying you a visit, and Adam was equally excited to meet his friend who helped him yesterday. Thanks for saving our son."

"Oh, that—that wasn't really a big deal, I would say," Henry said as he shook hands with John, Adam's dad. "I did what I had to."

"No, really. That was very kind of you. Thank you," Adam's mom, Amelia, added.

John paused as he looked at Henry closely. "I'm sorry but have we met before, sir?" he asked Henry with a smile suddenly. "I don't know why you look so familiar. What did you say your name was?"

"Oh, I'm afraid I didn't mention that. I'm Henry. And you are—"

"Henry…you remind me a lot of my father, who left my family when I was 6. And coincidentally, he went by the name Henry too!" John said.

"John?" Henry asked, his voice trembling. "Are you…John?"

John smiled nervously as he exchanged a glance with his wife. "Yes, I am John!"

"Son…I…I can't believe this!" Henry revealed, his hands held to his mouth in shock. "How have you been? Oh…You've grown into a handsome man."

"No way!" John gasped, his smile gone. "Dad?"

"I'm so sorry, son," Henry averted his gaze as regret and pain washed over him. "I'm terribly sorry for leaving you."

"Dad, is that really…Oh my god, why were you away from me all these years? Answer me!" John almost threw himself into his father's arms.

Henry sighed. "I never wanted to leave you, son, but the circumstances were such that I couldn't help it," he admitted. "Perhaps now is the time I should tell you everything…It's not a pretty story, son. A story about a man who went from being the wealthiest man in town to someone who lost his family and his fortune and nearly killed his wife. Can we please go inside and talk? There's a lot you need to know."

John asked his driver to take Amelia and Adam to the car, and he went inside with Henry.

Stepping inside, John looked around Henry's house and could see the terrible conditions his father had been living in. The walls wore massive cracks, the scarce furniture looked old and worn out, and the space seemed like it hadn't been cleaned in years. A weird stink lingered.

"Coffee?" Henry asked as they approached the shabby kitchen table.

"No formalities, Henry. Just tell me what you want to say," John said impatiently, eager to know his father's story. "I want to know why you left me. What happened all those years ago?"

"It happened when you were six years old, John...as you remember. But I didn't exactly leave the family," Henry began, sitting across from him. "You and I were supposed to go to the amusement park that day. Oh, you loved those silly rides! But on that day, 34 years ago, nobody could have predicted my life…our lives would fall apart, John," Henry added as the past flashed before his eyes.

34 years ago: The fateful day that changed Henry's and John's lives forever…

"Daddy, can I get a cotton candy too?" 6-year-old John asked while Henry was driving the car. They were on their way to the amusement park, and John couldn't wait for it.

"Daddy, can we get it? Tell me!"

"Of course, you can, champ! Am I even a good dad if I don't let you do that? Let's have fun today!" Henry said. "But before that, let's stop by my office for a little while, please? Daddy has something urgent to take care of."

"Daddy…you promised you won't!" John sulked.

"10 minutes, champ. I—I assure you I wouldn't take longer than that. Please?" Henry asked. "I'm sure my son can understand."

"OK," John agreed. "But not more than 10 minutes!"

"Alright, sir!" Henry chuckled.

Henry was a successful businessman back then who was so occupied with work all the time that he could barely make time for his son. He had managed to act on his promise of taking John to the amusement park after a really long time.

But the workaholic that he was, Henry couldn't avoid his duties even on the day he was supposed to spend with his son. And he had to drop by the office.

When they arrived, Henry finished the task that had suddenly come up, then he went to fetch the gift he had bought for John. But while looking through his drawer, Henry realized he had forgotten the gift at home in a hurry. He wanted to give it to John at the amusement park.

"God, no!" he sighed disappointedly. "Now, what?"

Henry eventually decided that since they were only 20 miles away from home, he would just drive home and get the gift quickly. He knew John would fuss and that they would get late to the park. But he didn't want to miss out on the moment John's face lit up upon receiving the gift.

So Henry drove home with John.

"Wait right here, buddy. I'll be back in a minute, alright?" Henry said as he stepped out of the car as they were home.

Henry headed to the front door but halted after stepping inside and noticing an unknown pair of shoes near the shoe rack. "We've got someone over?" he wondered. He didn't remember his wife, Laura, mentioning they would be having a guest over.

Henry looked around the living room, but he didn't see anyone. Even his wife wasn't there, and the house was oddly quiet. Henry had almost called out Laura's name, but he stopped as his gaze ran to the bedroom upstairs.

He could hear moaning sounds now, and a chill ran down Henry's spine as he noticed the slightly ajar bedroom door. He couldn't have mistaken what he had heard. Those noises…they were coming from his bedroom!

Henry carefully tiptoed upstairs, making sure he didn't make a noise. The moment that caused his heart to drop arrived when he peered inside the room through the door crack. His wife was in bed with another man, their bodies wrapped around each other. Henry stormed inside the room.

"What the hell? Steve?!" Henry's eyes bulged in horror when he realized the man his wife was sleeping with was a young lawyer at his company. "You're cheating on me with him?" Henry asked in shock.

"Oh my god! Henry…what are you doing here?" Laura pulled the bedsheet closer to herself as Steve jumped out of bed and began dressing. "I…I thought you were at the park with John!"

"Really? Me coming back home...THAT's the issue? Oh, I'm sorry for inconveniencing you and the dude you're banging in my home, Laura. In our bed?! How could you?" Henry was fuming. "How long has this been going on for, huh? Months?"

Laura looked away. "I—I was going to tell you, Henry. I was just waiting for the right time!"

"Right time?" he scoffed in disgust. "God, Laura! Do you hear yourself?! I can't believe this…my wife is having an affair with my employee?! What the hell, Laura! What the bloody hell!"

"I don't love you anymore, Henry!" Laura composed herself as she looked at him, and Henry…he just couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I haven't for a while now. Whatever we had…it's all over, Henry," she went on. "At least for me. I want a divorce because I've already moved on. Perhaps I should've told you everything sooner, and I regret that I didn't. But it's never too late, right?"

"I—I should probably leave," Steve tried to excuse himself, but Laura stopped him.

"You're not going anywhere, Steve! We don't need to hide this anymore!" she snapped as she glared at him. "So what if we were together here? Both you and I know, Henry, that we don't love each other anymore. You're always busy with work, you have your own ambitions, and..." she paused, looking away from him. "...we barely make love. There's nothing about our relationship that excites me anymore. So let's be real! I love Steve, and I want to be with him. As I said, I regret hiding it from you all this time, but now that you know everything…Oh my god! Stop! Henry! What the hell are you doing?"

Henry could no longer contain his wrath and charged at Steve, shoving him to the floor.

"Henry, back off! Get away from him!" Laura shouted as she jumped out of bed, but Henry was not going to listen to anyone. He was in a dark place, and he wouldn't stop until he had bashed Steve to his heart's content.

"Stop it, Henry! Or I'll call the cops!" Laura shouted, and Henry didn't stop even then.

"You think you can sleep with my wife and get away with it, huh?" He landed another hard punch on Steve's face, causing blood to ooze out the man's nose and mouth. "Next time I see you, you're dead meat! You hear that?"

Fuming in rage, Henry punched him hard again, then stormed out of the house and drove away with John.

"Daddy, are you OK?" Little John asked timidly, noticing his dad's bruised knuckles.

"I'm OK, champ. Don't worry," Henry lied, barely able to smile at his son as they continued on their way to the amusement park. His wife's betrayal kept replaying in his mind.

The next day, Henry was at work, and his rage knew no bounds when he saw Steve walking in through his office door. His face was severely bruised, but that didn't stop Henry from losing his temper.

"OUT before I beat the crap out of you again, Steve!" he hissed. "Have you forgotten what I told you yesterday? Want to try me, huh?"

Henry clenched his fists and wouldn't hesitate to punch Steve again. He stepped forward, but Steve backed away. "Woah, woah, relax, Mr. Holland!" he said, signaling him to stop.

"Or wait, we no longer need those honorifics," he smirked as he sat across from Henry. "Well, as you can see, you beat me up real bad, and my face really hurts, so we can avoid getting physical," he flashed Henry a nasty smile. "I'm here to show you something," he added, passing Henry a flash drive. "If I were you, I'd look at it."

Henry inserted the drive into his computer and gritted his teeth as he watched the clip of him assaulting Steve the day before.

"I'm guessing you know you're in a tough spot now, Henry," Steve smirked again as Henry looked up. "Well, I'm a lawyer, so let me give you some free legal advice. If the video goes to the cops, you'll get at least three years in prison, and oh god, Henry, trust me...I loathe you enough to make sure you serve. So let's get to the point. Shall we?

"You divorce Laura tomorrow and pay me $150,000. If you do as I say, my lips will be sealed forever, and this clip will never ever make it to the cops. And yeah yeah, before you start thinking I'm the bad guy behind all of this and all the crap about me, just know that Laura gave me the footage herself. So I'm sure she doesn't mind if I just help her expedite the divorce procedure. You know what I mean, right?"

"GET THE HELL OUT! You are fired, Steve!" Henry yelled, but Steve began laughing.

"Oh, God!" he said. "Relax! You can't fire me any longer, Henry. You don't have that right! Your wife transferred half of your company to me six months ago, which in layman's terms means you need my permission to fire me. Oh, this is so much FUN!" he added with a smile.

"Laura…what? She transferred her share to you?" Henry was shocked.

"Yep, you got that right, Henry…I'm your new partner!" Steve smiled at him. "So…what do you think about the deal?"

Everything slowly began to make sense to Henry. He realized Steve and Laura had been secretly planning on stabbing him in the back for a long time.

Laura had transferred half the company to Steve, and during the divorce proceedings, Henry would need to give her half of his share in the company, which meant Steve and Laura would hold a significant percentage of his company if Henry got divorced from Laura.

And not just that, but after the divorce, he would have to transfer half of his property to her, leaving him with only the other half. Henry would be left with the minimum, on the verge of bankruptcy. Steve and Laura wanted to destroy him completely.

But Henry couldn't let that happen. He had built this life for himself with a lot of effort. Henry was the one who had given his blood, sweat, and tears day and night to reach where he was. He wouldn't let Steve's and Laura's cunning plan become a success.

That evening, Henry didn't head home. He drove to a park to take his mind off things for a while, but even as he sat alone, he couldn't stop thinking about Laura's betrayal. He wondered where it had all gone wrong that their relationship had come to this point.

Was Laura right when she said they were becoming distant? Had he stopped trying to be a good husband to her? Was it possible that John, too, felt he wasn't a good dad?

Henry didn't know the answers to those questions, but as the scene of his wife in bed with Steve flashed before his eyes, Henry wasn't thinking straight. He was fueled with the desire to take revenge, to make sure Steve and Laura paid for what they had done. He would never, ever forgive them, and a plan struck him soon.

While at the park, Henry pulled out his phone and dialed an old acquaintance.

"Yes? Can we meet?" he asked. "At the bar on 6th street. Yes, I'll see you there."

In about 20 minutes, Henry arrived at the bar. In the business world, people often needed connections with those who could help them take care of matters and save their hands from getting dirty. There were several people who were willing to do it for peanuts, but Henry wanted to hire a professional killer, and he was ready to pay any amount.

The chattering of the young people and loud music filled the air. Henry settled in a booth, checking his phone frantically for a message. He would've never considered contacting his friend if he could help it. But Laura and Steve had ruined his life, and they deserved it. They hadn't left him with a choice.

Moments later, Henry's phone pinged with a message. "I'm here."

"At the last booth. Waiting," Henry replied and put his phone down. Soon, a man approached him.

"How you doin', man?" Ronnie slipped into the seat across from Henry. "Didn't expect to hear from you. So…what's the matter?"

"You still got your guys in the business, right?" Henry asked. "If not, I want you to contact one of the guys who can do the job for me."

"Of course, man," Ronnie said. "Look, you get me the info, and I get my guys on it."

"My wife and her partner," Henry said as he tossed two photos on the table. "I want to hire a professional to get them killed."

"Your wife?" Ronnie was a bit taken aback. "If you don't mind me asking, what's the deal, mate? Sure about this thing?"

"They had an affair and tried to toss me out of my own company," Henry revealed. "I don't care how you do and what you do, but I want them dead. And yes, I shouldn't be suspected of anything, so I only want the best man you got. A pro who won't leave a trace behind. If you get what I mean?"

"Don't worry, mate. I got you," Ronnie said as he quickly dialed someone. He asked the man he had contacted to hurry over to the bar immediately.

"My man will be here in half an hour," Ronnie told Henry as they ordered drinks and waited.

About 30 minutes later, Ronnie's guy joined them. Ronnie briefed him about the whole situation, explaining Steve's and Laura's deaths needed to look like an accident so that no suspicions fell on Henry.

"Well, we could make it seem like their car veered off the bridge and plunged into the water," the hitman suggested. "Nobody would guess anything…I've done this thing once. And yeah, rest assured you won't be suspected," he told Henry.

"I've got a plan then," Henry said. "You know the south bridge, right? It falls in the way to Steve's office," Henry added as he looked at Ronnie, then at the hitman. "It'll be easier to call them there."

"Alright, and then we do the rest, yeah?" Ronnie exchanged a glance with the contract killer, who nodded.

"Well, then, let's talk about the money," Henry leaned forward and clasped his hands. "How much will it all cost?"

"$50,000 is my reward," the contract killer said. "And another 50 grand for my guys and the stuff I'd need to arrange. At the very least, I need to buy a truck. Let's do it this Thursday, boys!" he added with a smirk. "You lure them to the south bridge this Thursday morning, and the rest is up to me. What do ya think?"

Henry nodded. "Fine. I'll take care of that," he said. "I'll tell them I want to see them at the lawyer's…I hope that's the last time I'll ever see them!"

"We got this. Just keep the money ready," the man told Henry.

Henry nodded, paid the bill, and left the bar. As he went home, Henry couldn't wait to put his plan into action. He would see Steve and Laura die in pain, and that's what they deserved after they cunningly wanted to deceive him. Henry was thrilled.

The next day, he called Steve and Laura and said he was ready for the divorce. He feigned his sadness and convinced them to meet him at Steve's office.

"...Yes, I'm ready to end things on a...good note. I regret what I did to Steve and you, Laura," he told them, unleashing the second part of his plan.

Both Laura and Steve agreed to meet him, and Henry quickly dropped a text to the contract killer he had hired: "They are ready. The time and location stay the same. Remember: No traces should be left behind. Alright? 2 p.m. This Thursday, as we decided."

Finally, the day Henry had long awaited arrived. As per the plan, the contract killer would contact Henry once the job was done. And then inform him of the next steps.

Henry was at the office, anxiously tapping his feet, his gaze fixed on his phone.

Suddenly, the phone buzzed with the contract killer's number.

"Yes?" he asked impatiently as he answered.

"The target is down. Meet me at the Bronze Arch Grounds," the contract killer said. "And yeah, wait for me at the bench under the oak tree. Keep the cash ready. I'll be there in the next 20 minutes."

Henry stuffed the envelope with the money the killer had demanded in his coat pocket and drove to the park where he was supposed to meet him. Henry arrived right on time and spotted the only oak tree amid the greenery. He sat there, waiting.

About 30 minutes later, the killer he had hired approached him and sat on the bench beside him.

"As I had said, their car flew right into the river," he said, showing Henry a photo of a car upside down under the bridge, sinking into the river.

"Are you sure they are dead?" Henry asked. "No traces left, right?"

"It looked like an accident. My guys took the truck to the scrap yard, so it's impossible for anyone to track us down," the killer said. "Nobody could've survived that, and I waited a while to make sure everything was fine."

"Good job," Henry said and reached into his pocket to retrieve the cash envelope. "Thanks for the help. Here you go," he added as he held out the money to the killer.

But right then, a team of police officers ran up to their bench and handcuffed Henry.

"You are under arrest, Mr. Holland, on the grounds of conspiring and committing the murder of your colleague, Mr. Steve Reynolds, and your wife, Laura Holland!" one of the officers announced.

Present-day…

"The killer was framed, son. I was so into my revenge that I might have missed the subtle signs of how he and I…both of us were fooled," Henry now told John.

"Turns out…when I met my friend at the bar…that Ronnie guy, he immediately called Laura and told her about it. And then, together with the police, they conducted a special operation and staged her and Steve's death in order to catch me transferring money for murder. But you know what? I'm glad about it because I wouldn't have been able to live with it if he had actually killed them then," Henry said.

"Yes, they deceived me and tried their best that I became bankrupt, but if I had stopped and tried to solve things in other ways, I would have lived a completely different life," he added. "I wouldn't have to leave you and go away. I regret that, and I will probably regret it for the rest of my life."

"No, Dad," John said. "Yes, you were wrong, and you've suffered enough. If we are making things right, let's do it in the true sense. I will help you get everything back, and Steve will regret it," he added, holding his father's hands.

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