It wasn’t easy for me to grow up in a small trailer with my mom. My dad left when I was six, and my mom is still in pain from the car accident she was in. But when I met an old man who would become my guardian angel, everything changed.
At first, they played an easy game of bowling with bottles and a soccer ball that wasn’t inflated. Then a sleek black SUV pulled up, and an old man got out. I felt at ease when I saw his warm smile and sparkling eyes.
He asked me to play a game, and if he won, I had to do him a favor. I agreed, even though the risks were high. They were all broken when he threw the ball quickly.
It was an easy favor: go fishing with him at the old pond. I wasn’t sure what to do, but something about him drew me in.
The next morning, we left in silence and found a place that was empty. He told me stories about his son, who had died because there weren’t enough medical tools. He started to cry.
I listened carefully because I could feel his pain. He seemed to feel better after hearing my words of comfort. The fishing rod fell into the water all of a sudden, and both of us fell into the pond.
We laughed as we took out the biggest fish I had ever seen. The old man’s happiness spread to everyone else.
The next day, a guy in a suit and a package showed up at my door. Inside, I found a gift that would change my life: enough money to pay for my mother’s medical care, my schooling, and her recovery.
As I thought about how nice the stranger was, tears came down my face. After a few months, I got a letter from him telling me that he had heart surgery and felt better after meeting you.
He told me, “Don’t give up, and you’ll catch that fish too.” After fifteen years, I watched my mom laugh with my kids from my porch.
“Adam, you never gave up,” she said with a smile.
The old man’s gift was more than just money; it encouraged me to keep going. It makes me feel the same calm and happiness that I did that day when I look up at the sky.
Meeting someone by chance can sometimes change our lives forever.
