I never believed that a small act of kindness I did on a whim would impact my life. I had been saving up three bucks to buy my three kids a basic breakfast at the time. I handed it to a stranger instead, so he could purchase a bottle of water for his medicine. I was broke, homeless, and tired, but I couldn’t leave someone who needed help.
I finally understood that this simple option was the key to a door I had never seen before. It was the beginning of a story so weird that I still wake up sometimes and wonder if I dreamed it all.
Two years ago, my life came apart in ways I never dreamed it would. After our youngest kid, Noah, was born too early, my wife Sarah left me because the medical bills were too much for her to handle. Not long after that, I lost my job in construction because the company went out of business. I couldn’t rebuild because one loss led to another, like dominoes falling. Before I could recover my breath, I was living in a broken-down van with three kids who needed more stability than I could provide them. Lily, my oldest kid, was ten years old and should have been focusing on school and dance lessons. Jace, my middle child, is just seven, yet he tried too hard to do things that were too large for him. Noah was still a toddler and didn’t know what was going on around us, which only made me feel worse. It felt like every day was a reminder that I was letting down the people who meant the most to me.
I had three crumpled dollar dollars in my pocket that night, when everything started to change. They were meant to buy the kids’ food the next morning, like a bag of bananas or donuts. That night, as they were sleeping in the vehicle, I spotted an old man shuffling into the petrol station. He looked feeble, moved slowly, and had shoulders that drooped as if they were carrying a heavy load. I could see him getting more and more scared at the counter as he realized he had left his wallet at home. He told the young cashier that he needed the water for his medicine, but she wouldn’t help him. The old man seemed so sorrowful, like this small request may break him. His face looked like mine: tired, impotent, and hidden. I didn’t think about it and gave them my last three dollars.
The way the man acted astonished me. He was shaking as he gripped the water bottle, and his eyes were full of tears. He was grateful for something that seemed so small. He said softly in my ear, “You’ve done more for me than you will ever know.” I didn’t think much of it then. I walked back to the car with empty pockets, but I felt better knowing that doing good is its own reward.
By morning, that guy was gone. I didn’t know it yet, but his death would bring our lives together in a way I couldn’t have imagined. That same day, a lawyer named Daniel knocked on the side of our van. I thought the police were going to move us again at first. Instead, Daniel said he was Walter’s lawyer, the man I had helped. Walter owned a tremendous business empire, and his will specified that I would get it all. At first, I thought it was funny. The idea was silly. How might a parent who is poor and has nothing inherit a business worth billions? But the papers Daniel showed me were real; they had signatures and seals on them. In just a few hours, Daniel took my kids and me from a car to a mansion that had all the amenities we hadn’t enjoyed in years. My kids were happy, full, and rested for the first time without a concern in the world.
But good luck might also bring problems. Preston, Walter’s son, was very angry about what his father did. He walked up to me and instructed me to give him everything. At first, I assumed he was angry because he was unhappy, but it rapidly became clear that he would do bad things. Anonymous threats developed into vandalism and threats, and then, the unthinkable: he kidnapped my kids and demanded that I pay him the inheritance in exchange for their safety. Those hours still hurt me like wounds.
Daniel helped us arrange up a meeting in an empty warehouse, and the FBI was secretly involved. I stepped in with the deed in my hand, my heart beating and my kids afraid. Preston thought he had won since he signed papers that gave him power. He didn’t know that the documents were a trap. He hadn’t read them since they were a confession of guilt written in legalese. A few minutes later, federal agents broke into the warehouse, saved my kids, and took Preston into custody.
The investigation froze the company’s assets, so we were once again homeless, even if justice was served. I thought the nightmare had eaten the miracle whole, but then Daniel came back with one more gift. Walter wrote me a letter and set up a trust fund for my kids that was worth $7 million. He stated, “The best thing you can give your kids is your love.”
We live in a little but comfortable house currently. Lily is dancing again, Jace is playing basketball, and Noah is finally getting some sleep in his own bed. Every night when I tuck them in, I reiterate Walter’s words and thank him for the lesson he taught us. It cost me three dollars to look nice, but it gave my kids a chance at a better life. I will always remember that sometimes the simplest thing can open the biggest door, whether it was fate, faith, or luck.