I lived in a world of luxury, with more money and stuff than I could ever imagine. Still, my soul hurt from being empty. I was 61 years old and by myself. I thought that maybe this was all that life had to give.
That’s when I saw Lexi, a poor woman who was going through trash. It touched me that she was determined. I pulled over because I felt a link I couldn’t explain.
“Need help?” I asked. The softness of my voice was strange.
She gave me wary looks, but she took me up on my offer. I took her to my farm and gave her a place to stay in my garage, which I turned into a guest house.
Lexi told her story over meals. She was an artist whose life had broken her. her husband’s betrayal, the closing of her show, and her own subsequent fall.
I listened, amazed by how strong she was. Our talks helped me feel better, and her wit and fun lit up my dark world.
But one bad afternoon, I found some troubling paintings in the garage. They were distorted pictures of me. Lots of chains, blood, and graves. It broke my heart.
That night, I talked to Lexi about it. She said sorry and talked about how angry and upset she was. I felt deceived and couldn’t forgive.
I took her to a shelter the next morning and gave her money to start over. After a few weeks, I felt a pain I hadn’t felt before: loss.
After that, a package showed up. A peaceful picture of me with Lexi’s note and phone number next to it.
My heart beat faster. I called, and we talked, but our words were shaky.
“Lexi, I got your painting… it’s beautiful,” I stated.
“Thank you,” she said. “I owed you something better.”
I let her go because I knew my own pain had kept me away. “Maybe we could start over?” I told you.
“Maybe we could,” she said.
We planned a dinner, which was a fresh start. Lexi had used the money to start over with her life. She now had new clothes, a job, and an apartment on the way.
When I thought about our meeting, hope grew. Lexi might be the person I’d found to share the good and bad times of life with. Our friendship, which grew out of random kindness, might be able to fix the hole in my heart.
