Visiting Widowed Mom after 3 Years, Man Finds a Mess and Hears a Man Coughing in the Next Room — Story of the Day

Three years had passed since I left home, and driven by guilt and curiosity, I decided it was time to see my mom again. What awaited me was a shock: our once cozy house was now a mess, with a stranger lurking around my mother.

At 33, my life was entrenched in the corporate world, something completely different from when I lived with my mother. I had freshly graduated with my master's degree at 27, and she had pleaded with me not to leave, arguing she was getting old and needed my support.

But my ambition was relentless, and despite her protests, I moved out to focus on my career. Her response to my decision stung deeply.

"I didn't raise you to prioritize money over family. I wanted you to be different! First, your father left me, and now, my own son is abandoning me as well," she lamented.

Her words pained me, not just because she felt I was leaving her, but because she couldn't see that all I wanted was to work hard for the benefit of us both. Her attempts to guilt-trip me into staying only pushed me further away.

In a moment of hurt and frustration, I retorted, "I'm sorry I'm not the son you've always wanted. If you're so disappointed in me, I'll make it easier for you. You no longer have to deal with me." That was our final exchange.

For years, not a single word was shared between us until I needed some documents that required me to return home. The journey back felt heavy. Four hours filled with apprehension and regret. But nothing could have prepared me for the state of our house.

The sight that greeted me was heart-wrenching; everything was in disarray, a shadow of the home I remembered. It seemed untouched by care for years.

The scene got even worse as I stepped into the kitchen. Everything was broken, covered in a thick layer of dust. And then, out of nowhere, a cough echoed from the living room.

There, I found my mother on the couch and a man in his 40s, looking rugged and worn, seated beside her. My confusion and concern erupted before I could stop it. "Mom! What on earth? Who is this man? What's wrong with you?!" My outburst startled them both.

My mother spoke with a calmness that seemed out of place in the chaos. "This is Simon. He has been taking care of me for the last couple of months."

"Is this what you call 'taking care' of someone? Look at this place. It's a complete mess!" I protested.

"Well, this is how I live now. I would not even be here if Simon never came knocking on the door. He came here to ask for some water, but I couldn't answer. He heard my faint cry for help from the window and opened the door. He saw me lying on the floor and gave me some food," she recounted.

Hearing her words, I was torn between relief that someone was there for her when I wasn't and a deep-seated frustration at the state of her living conditions. The reunion I had imagined for so long was nothing like this reality.

"Where did all your money go?" I found myself asking, unable to comprehend how things had gotten so bad.

"The bills for your student loans kept coming and only stopped last year. Since then, I only had enough to buy simple groceries and didn't have enough to pay the bills," Mom replied, her voice tired yet matter-of-fact.

"Your mother's utilities were cut off, so there is no electricity or water here. We've been getting water from outside. Her house will be taken away if she doesn't pay the mortgage. If I had known she had a son, I would have insisted on calling you, but she never mentioned you," Simon added.

His words were a cold splash of water. I found myself at a loss for words, my thoughts racing and my heart sinking.

Before I could process everything, he added, "To be honest, if I had known she had a son, the first thing I would've done was give you a good beating for leaving your mother in such a horrid state!"

Mom quickly intervened before I could snap something back. "That's enough," she cried and looked at me. "You said you didn't want anything to do with me, so I don't want to disturb you further. If there's anything you need, just get it and go."

At that moment, the weight of my absence and neglect hit me hard. I fell to my knees, tears streaming down my face. "Mom," I sobbed, my voice breaking with each word. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry you've been living this way."

"It was wrong of me to assume that it was my child's responsibility to take care of me once I got old. I should have never demanded that from you. You don't have to worry about it," Mom said, as she helped me up from the floor.

Through my tears, I managed to reply, "I know it's not my responsibility, but it's something I should have done whether you asked for it or not. I'm sorry, Mom. You thought only of me all these years, and here I was, living life selfishly."

After we made amends, I took it upon myself to right the wrongs. I paid off all of Mom's debts and had her house fixed. For Simon, the stranger who had become an unlikely guardian angel, I found him a job at my company but at the nearest branch in my mother's town. After all, he was her life partner, and I owed him a debt, too.

Eventually, I requested a relocation to that branch, too, and we started a new chapter together. Once I had saved enough, I built a bigger house for us, ensuring both Mom and Simon had a comfortable life.

When the time came for me to start my own family, I moved out but made sure to stay close. My family and I spent weekends at Mom and Simon's place, just a 15-minute drive away, maintaining the bond that had been restored in the nick of time.

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