Disabled Grandmother Has to Work as Cleaner so That Her Grandkids Are Not Taken to Shelter – Story of the Day

63-year-old Eloise’s world turns upside down when a social worker arrives at her doorstep one evening. Eloise could lose her grandchildren's custody, so she’s forced to work extra hours. Her troubles only get bigger when she faints on the job.

Eloise had been raising her grandchildren, Lacey and Corey, since their parents died in a car accident three years ago. She was preparing beans and spinach soup for the kids when the doorbell rang. Since she was partially deaf, she didn’t hear it.

8-year-old Lacey was watching her sullenly. She was about to yell at her grandmother for preparing another boring dinner, but the doorbell distracted her. Lacey stomped to the front door and answered.

"Hi there!" the social worker, Alice, smiled at Lacey. "Can I come in?"

Lacey shrugged and opened the door wider. Alice stepped inside, but the sight of Eloise's living room faded her smile into a grimace. This inspection was not starting well! She greeted Eloise and proceeded to check the house.

Soon, Alice sat down with Eloise and delivered the bad news: "I’m sorry, Mrs. Russell, but given your current living situation, the court will have to place your grandchildren in a shelter. We know several families who'll be delighted to welcome Lacey and Corey into their homes."

Eloise was enraged. If it weren't for the ligament tear in her leg that had out her in a wheelchair, she would have stood up and shown Alice the door. She slammed the door in Alice's face that evening, swearing under her breath that she would prove she wasn't a failed grandmother.

The next day, Eloise asked her manager for extra shifts. He reluctantly assigned her the night shift that evening in addition to her regular shift. That night, Eloise started trembling and struggled to breathe. She wheeled her chair toward the cash register to get help, but her eyes rolled back into her head, and everything went black.

When Eloise woke, she struggled to make out her surroundings. The nurse beside her flinched, and her eyes widened as if she’d seen a ghost. The next thing Eloise knew, a doctor was examining her. He informed Eloise that she’d been in a coma for a year.

Eloise's heart raced. "Coma? What..my grandchildren! Where’s Lacey and Corey?"

The doctor insisted that Lacey and Corey were safe and she’d be allowed to see them once her condition stabilized. A few days later, she was sitting on her bed and looking out the window when the door flung open.

Lacey ran to Eloise and gave her a tight hug. Then Alice entered, holding Corey in her arms. Eloise opened her arms for the toddler, and she held her two grandchildren close to her heart.

"It appears you'll be discharged soon," Alice said.

"Yes. And the kids will live with me again, right?" Eloise asked hopefully. Her heart sank when Alice averted her eyes.

"Corey and Lacey have a new home now," Alice said. "We had to place them in a shelter when you were hospitalized. A month later, they were sent to a foster home. The couple adopted them."

"Who gave you the right to do that?" Eloise demanded furiously, holding her grandchildren close. "You took advantage of my illness and stole my grandchildren from me!"

"The court decided it was better for them, Mrs. Russell," Alice said. "Please, you need to let them go."

Alice stood and began taking the kids away, but Eloise fought her so vehemently that the doctor had to intervene. Eloise returned home a few days later, but she couldn’t see her grandchildren. After what happened at the hospital, Alice wouldn't give her their address.

But Eloise wasn't one to give up. She convinced Alice she’d behave when she met the Sanders, her grandchildren's adoptive parents. In truth, Eloise had something else in mind.

Eloise arrived at the modest family home, and Cynthia, Corey and Lacey’s adoptive mother, invited her inside. Lacey excitedly showed Eloise her beautiful bedroom and new toys before giving her a tour of Corey’s room, which was equally lovely and immaculate.

Then Eloise joined Cynthia and her husband, James, for tea. They were both kind and sympathetic toward her—until Eloise declared that she’d fight them for custody if the couple refused to let her take Lacey and Corey home with her.

James sneered in disbelief. "We legally adopted Lacey and Corey, so we won’t give in to your demands, Mrs. Russell."

"Then I'll see you in court," Eloise said. "I won’t accept this. You didn't even ask for my permission when you took them in!"

"You were in a coma, Eloise!" Cynthia said. "Please, we want a peaceful relationship with you, with regular visits. But we’re in a better financial position to provide for the kids. Our new clothing store is doing well. Yes, we took out a loan, but we can give Lacey and Corey a good life."

"That's what you think!" Eloise hissed. "A child should be surrounded by their real family! And you're not their biological parents! I'd say—"

James's ringtone cut Eloise off. He excused himself to take the phone call but soon returned with a big smile and told Cynthia their insurance on the new store had just been approved.

"You know what, Mrs. Russell," James said. "You came to challenge us in court, right? Well, we accept your challenge. Now, please, excuse us. The door is right behind you."

Eloise stormed out of the house. She was determined to get her grandchildren back! However, she had to do something to show that Cynthia and James weren't capable of providing for them.

That evening, Eloise stopped by the old dump where the homeless often camped. She approached a lone man in a tent and offered him a job. Eloise intended to send the Sanders’ source of income up in smoke, but she couldn’t do it alone. When the man agreed, Eloise slipped him a note with an address and paid him $1000 to torch the place.

The next morning, Eloise gleefully watched a news report about James’s burned-out shop. She grinned maliciously when the reporter interviewed James. She was now ready to face him and Cynthia in court.

A few days later, the custody trial began. Eloise tearfully told the court how much she adored her grandchildren and how hard she’d worked to care for them. She concluded by telling the judge that the children shouldn’t be living with strangers when their grandmother could provide for them.

James then delivered a moving speech about how he and Cynthia had come to see Lacey and Corey as their own while arguing that Eloise didn’t truly care for the children. Instead, she believed she owned them.

The judge listened carefully to both sides. Then she started asking James hard questions about the fire at his shop.

"Investigators currently suspect you were behind the arson because you took out insurance a few days before the fire," Judge Emerson stated. "Is that true, Mr. Sanders?"

"Yes, your Honor." James nodded. "I did take out insurance a few days prior, but I didn’t cause the fire! And I'm ready to defend my claim in court!"

"That's a whole other case for you to battle. Let's stick to how it affects the custody matter," Judge Emerson said. "If the insurance firm refuses to cover the damages and pay you, you can be prosecuted, correct?"

"Yes, your Honor." James hung his head.

"Do you have another source of income to support these children if you don't get the insurance money?"

"No, your Honor."

"And you started the store by taking out a bank loan?"

James answered with a helpless sigh. A few hours later, the court awarded custody to Eloise.

Eloise's neighbor, Stacey, took Eloise and her grandchildren home. While Eloise was overjoyed her plan had succeeded, Corey cried constantly. Eloise noticed that Lacey's cheeks were red, and she sniffled quietly as she stared out the window.

"Everything will be fine, children," Eloise said. "I got another job yesterday, with a better salary! We can go shopping and have fun!"

But Eloise's reassurance didn't change the children's mood. They missed Cynthia and James.

As days flew by, Eloise forgot how she’d ruined James and Cynthia's happy family. She was thrilled and relieved her grandchildren were home with her. But one morning, while Eloise was busy in the kitchen, the doorbell rang.

"I'm coming!" She called out and marched to the front door, only to find Cynthia and James at her doorstep.

"Hi, we brought Lacey and Corey's remaining stuff." James held up a box.

Eloise asked them to leave it in the living room corner. After James finished bringing in all the boxes from the porch, Cynthia called out to the children. When they didn’t reply, Eloise told the couple to check the backyard. James and Cynthia soon returned with panicked expressions and told Eloise the kids weren’t there either.

Eloise was horrified. Corey was too young to go anywhere by himself, and Lacey was only 8 years old. Had someone kidnapped them? For fifteen minutes, Eloise, James, and Cynthia were freaking out, asking everyone if they’d seen the children.

Suddenly, Eloise noticed a piece of woolen fabric peeking out of the trunk of James and Cynthia's mini-van. Eloise flung the trunk open and removed the blanket, revealing Lacey and Corey curled underneath it.

"Get out!" Eloise fumed. "What kind of games are these? Do you know how worried we were? And Lacey, you're the big sister! What are you teaching Corey?"

"Grandma, we…" Lacey's eyes welled up.

Eloise knew what it meant, but she couldn't fall weak now.

"I said, GET OUT OF THERE, Lacey!" Eloise yelled.

"Enough, Eloise!" A woman screamed.

Eloise turned to see Cynthia glaring at her.

"We both know they want to live with us," Cynthia continued, "but you won't let them. You are a lonely, selfish woman! How could you be so heartless to your own grandchildren? Look at their faces!"

"I will call the police right now," Eloise shot back. "Children should live with their family, not with those who just pretend to care for them!"

Eloise and Cynthia would've continued to argue, but Lacey screamed and cut them off. The little girl covered her ears with her tiny hands as sobs rocked through her body.

"Gramma… We… We love you. But w… We love our new mommy and daddy, too. I miss Mommy and Daddy… After angels took them away, our new mommy and daddy loved us. We don't want to leave them, gramma!" she screamed. "We'll hate you if you break up our family!"

Eloise stepped back, speechless, as she watched her granddaughter's reaction. A shock wave washed over her as she looked at Lacey, Corey, Cynthia, and James, puzzled.

"Eloise? Are you OK?" Cynthia asked.

"I...I set fire to your store!" she confessed. "I did it! Call the police."

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