An old man walks 10 kilometers to see his grandson every day. One day he sees the boy get into a stranger’s car and panics.
Lucas was eight years old when his parents, Marisa and Pedro, divorced. Pedro had fallen in love with another woman, with whom he formed a family.
However, a month after their divorce, Marisa found out from Pedro’s father, Ronald, that he and his fiancée had died in a traffic accident.
After Pedro’s passing, Marisa raised Lucas alone and made sure he never missed a thing. But the boy also had grandfather Ronald by his side, who loved him like a son.
“Grandpa is the best, Mom! He loves me very much. It’s great that Grandpa lives near us. I can always spend time with him,” Lucas told Marisa, but she didn’t appreciate him. Every time she saw Ronald approach her son, she felt like someone was throwing salt in her wound. She evoked memories of her relationship with Pedro.
So to make sure Ronald stayed away from her and Lucas, Marisa moved to another house.
“Please don’t do it,” Ronald begged. But Marisa ignored him.
Once Lucas moved out, Ronald felt very sad. He was a widower, his only child had died in a car accident. He wanted to visit Lucas, but his old car had stopped working a long time ago and his savings didn’t allow him to buy a new one. Besides, Marisa would be angry when she saw him.
One day, Ronald was having breakfast when his phone rang. He picked up the call and began to cry when he heard Lucas’s voice on the other end of the line.
“How are you? Do you miss Grandpa, Lucas?” she asked, her voice cracking.
“Grandpa… Grandpa. Mom is sick. She passed out and they sent her to the hospital. They didn’t take me with her. I miss you, Grandpa. Can you come visit me please?” she begged, crying.
“What?” Ronald said. “Don’t worry. Grandpa is on his way, okay? Are you home alone, Lucas?”
“No,” the boy replied. “I’m at Mrs. Maria’s house. She lives next door to us. Grandpa, I miss Mom! And I miss you too.”
Without thinking twice, Ronald got to his feet and reached for his cane. He didn’t even finish breakfast and headed to Lucas’s neighbor’s house.
Ronald didn’t have much money, so he decided to use what was left to buy Lucas something to cheer him up. He then walked 10 kilometers to see his grandson.
At Mrs. Maria’s house, Lucas ran up to him and hugged him tight. “Grandpa! I’ve missed you.”
“I miss you too Lucas!” Ronald sighed, hugging the boy tight.
From that day on, Grandpa Ronald visited Lucas every day. To save money on gifts for his little grandson, he decided to do without transportation and instead walked 10 kilometers a day. When he got to Maria’s house he was already tired, but he never showed it.
“Grandpa, you look very tired. Would you like to sit down?” Lucas asked Ronald one day after the old man collapsed on the steps of the house shortly after arriving.
But Ronald faked a smile on his face and said, “Not at all, boy! Grandpa is still very strong. Walking so many miles is a piece of cake for me.” And little Lucas smiled.
Every time Ronald visited Lucas, he brought him candy, toys, and even his favorite pizza. He would play with him despite being tired and read him storybooks.
One day, before going to visit Lucas, he got a box of the boy’s favorite chocolates and decided to surprise him. But when she got to Maria’s house, she saw Lucas getting into a stranger’s car.
“Who are you? Where are you taking my grandson? Stop!” he yelled from afar.
The man who was holding the car door for Lucas to get in looked back, his face worried.
“Get away right now!” Ronald yelled, threatening the man with his cane. She hurried over to him and pulled Lucas out of the vehicle.
“Are you okay, Lucas?” she asked, hugging him, her cane pointing at the man. “Did he try to hurt you?”
“No, no, Grandpa! You’ve got it all wrong!” Lucas said. “He is Mrs. Maria’s husband. Since you told me yesterday that you were not feeling very well, I thought I would visit you today. The man was taking me to your house.”
“Oh, is that it?” Ronald lowered his cane and looked at the apologetic man. “I’m sorry, sir. I was worried about my grandson and I overstepped. Please forgive me.”
“Okay, Ronald. Would you like to join me for tea now that you’re here?”
“I would appreciate it,” said the old man.
As they talked, Maria’s husband revealed that he had taken a day off work and decided to take Lucas to visit Ronald. He also told her that after learning that he walked 10 kilometers every day to see Lucas, some neighbors got together and started a GoFundMe page so they could get him a new car.
Ronald was in tears and politely refused the man. “Believe me sir, that would be unnecessary. It would cost a lot of money and I cannot accept it.”
But the subject assured him that the neighbors really wanted to do it for him. And after much persuasion, Ronald had to agree
“Thank you very much,” she said through tears. “I will never forget her kindness.
Shortly after, Ronald went to pick Marisa up at the hospital in the brand new car and had a heartfelt talk with her, in which he apologized to her for what Pedro had done and begged her not to prevent Lucas from seeing him.
“I know it won’t be easy for you,” he told her. “But I hope you understand.
Over time, Marisa let Lucas decide. If he wanted to be close to her grandfather, she had no right to stop him.
Now things have changed so much that Ronald happily drives to see his grandson every day and helps Marisa around the house so she can focus more on her career, which she is deep down grateful for. And Lucas does not lose the affection of his grandfather.
“I’m so glad you visit me every day, Grandpa!” said the boy.”
What can we learn from this story?
Grandparents love their grandchildren and do everything they can for them: When Lucas walked away from Ronald, the old man walked 10 kilometers a day just to see his grandson. Grandparents’ hearts are filled with so much love.
They support the elderly: Due to Marisa’s decision, Ronald found himself in a difficult situation in which he had to walk every day to see his grandson. Fortunately, Marisa’s neighbors helped him and got him a new car.
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