Ethan Blake was a computer entrepreneur, and his calm morning ritual on Main Street had become something of a local legend. He never thought that a short walk to the bakery on a cold October day would transform his life forever. He was wearing his customary sharp blue suit, with the sound of his polished shoes disrupting the peace of the early morning when he saw a bright red plastic toy car parked on the sidewalk in an unusual way. There were two little boys, no older than four, standing close to it. They were shaking in jackets that didn’t match and holding a hurriedly written cardboard sign that said, “To Help Our Mom—$20 for Sale.”
Ethan bent down and said hello to them softly so they wouldn’t have to look up at him. Ryan, the oldest child, said hello in a calm and serious way. Robbie, his twin, put a hand on the hood of the car to protect it and looked at Ethan with wide, eager eyes. Ryan told Ethan that they were selling their sole toy because their mother, Grace, was very sick and they needed money to buy her medicine. Robbie’s voice shook as he told them that their mother cried at night, thinking they were asleep.
Ethan felt weird within. He thought of how scared he was when he was little and saw his parents fight. He took a new $100 bill out of his wallet and gave it to her with a huge smile. He told Ryan, “Your car is worth more than twenty dollars.” The guys were happy right away. They gave him the toy and ran off to an old apartment building a few doors down, their eyes shining.
Ethan saw Grace lying against a damaged doorframe inside. It was evident how sick she was from her pale skin and tired posture. When he told her why her sons sold their favorite toy, she cried. She didn’t want his help, but that night she passed out from the disease she had been trying to avoid. Ethan made sure that a doctor he trusted took her to a private hospital right away, where she got the care she needed to live.
Ethan went to see Ryan and Robbie twice a day while Grace was getting better. He listened as the kids opened up paper airplanes, showed off their paintings, and laughed at the new joke books. He brought them food that was warm, clothes that were comfortable, and shoes that were strong to their small apartment. With each gift, he became more and more involved in their lives. Soon, the once-empty area was full of laughing and the sounds of family pandemonium.
Finally, Grace got to her house. She was getting better, but she was losing weight. She saw her sons asleep on the floor with a blanket over them and toys all around them. There were more than just the little red car in the toys now. She held Ethan at the doorway and cried, telling him that he had done more than just help—they would always remember him. Ethan shook his head because what she said made him feel something. “They saved me,” he remarked.
When Ethan quit as CEO that winter, it shocked his coworkers and put Wall Street into a frenzy. He gave up his corner office so he could walk the twins to preschool in the morning and help Grace with her treatment exercises in the afternoon. He brought Christmas cupcakes to their apartment on a snowy night in December. Ryan and Robbie got down on their knees and yelled, “Uncle Ethan!” When Grace found out what everyone else already knew, that he was family, she chuckled through her tears.
A few weeks later, when the sky was full of new snowflakes, Ethan surprised Grace with a little velvet box in Central Park. He stated he used to have everything but felt hollow until two tiny boys taught him what love really was. When Grace said yes, the noises of people heading to work faded away, and the air was filled with the calm of fresh beginnings. The red toy car was at the front of the yard for their spring wedding. It was tidy and had little flowers on it. A hand-made sign said, “This $20 car changed everything.” The loudest shout occurred when Ethan grabbed Ryan and Robbie and said, “I love you both… forever.” This was when they walked down the aisle with their mother. Family isn’t simply the people you’re related to; it’s also the choices we make and the help we give each other.