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Lonely Old Man Visits Wife’s Grave Every Week, One Day Meets Young Woman Who Is Her Carbon Copy – Story of the Day

Roshanak Hannani
Feb 21, 2022
08:20 P.M.

James visited his wife's grave all the time and cried. But one day, he discovered a fresh bouquet he had not bought. He decided to wait and see who had brought them. That's when Jane showed up, revealing his wife's shocking and bittersweet past.

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“Oh, Melissa, you don’t know how I miss you,” James wept at the cemetery in Virginia. He was standing over his late wife’s grave and couldn’t imagine living without her anymore. While they had both lived full lives, it wasn’t easy. She was 80 years old and fought against cancer, but it eventually took her from him.

He was the same age and always thought he might die first, and now, he was alone in the world. They never had any children, and Melissa was an orphan who didn’t know much about her family history. James felt horrible and visited her grave almost every day, crying inconsolably in public.

“What am I going to do without you?” he cried, looking at her tombstone. He wiped his tears with a handkerchief and placed it back in his pocket, looking up at the sky and noticing that it was getting dark. It was time to go back home.

Over the next couple of days, everything was the same. James went to the cemetery, talked to Melissa’s grave, cried, and returned home. He wished he was young enough to work because that would give him something to do with his time. But every day seemed the same until something surprising happened.

There was a fresh bouquet on top of Melissa’s grave, and he had no idea who brought it. He hadn't bought a new one yet because his wife was not fond of flowers. These were gorgeous, and clearly, someone had just placed them before he arrived. But who? Most of their acquaintances attended the funeral, and that’s it. But they didn’t have loved ones left. Or was Melissa hiding something?

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He only wished she was here to receive all that love.

She was his wife's carbon copy. | Source: Pexels

She was his wife's carbon copy. | Source: Pexels

Over the next few days, James arrived at the cemetery earlier than usual to see if he could catch whoever gave her flowers, but nothing happened for a week. He was about to give up sneaking around when a woman appeared. But that’s not what drew James’ focus. Something was shocking about her face. She looked exactly like Melissa did at her age. It was uncanny

Who is this woman? he wondered, standing a few feet away. She has to be related to Melissa.

The woman approached the tombstones and started speaking quietly, but James could hear everything. “Hello, aunt Melissa. It’s me again. I have to return to New York soon, and I wanted to see you one last time. I so hope that we could have met. I’m hope to bring my mother to see you soon. How I wished things had turned out differently,” the woman said and placed a new bouquet on top of Melissa’s resting place.

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James realized she was about to leave and called out to her. “Young lady! Young lady! Wait a minute!”

She turned at James' call. | Source: Pexels

She turned at James' call. | Source: Pexels

She turned around with raised eyebrows and almost laughed. “Oh, hello there. No one’s called me young lady in a long time, so that’s nice!”

James smiled because this woman was funny, just like his late wife. “Well, you are young to me. But did I just hear you say this woman was your aunt?” he continued.

“Yes,” she responded and looked at her grave with a slight frown. “I never got to meet her though. I just found her.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m sorry. Who are you, sir?” she asked before answering his intrusive question.

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“I am Melissa’s husband, and we never knew of any family members,” James explained, and the woman smiled.

“That means you’re my uncle! Oh my gosh! It’s so nice to meet you. I wish it was under better circumstances,” she gushed.

“I’m so confused.”

They walked towards a bench. | Source: Pexels

They walked towards a bench. | Source: Pexels

“Excuse me. I’m so excited. My name is Jane. I’m Aunt Melissa’s niece. My mother is Sabrina, her twin sister,” Jane revealed, shocking James.

“Twin sister? That’s impossible!”

“I know it sounds crazy. My mother is still alive and has been looking for Melissa since she was 16,” Jane continued, and James couldn’t take so many shocking revelations.

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“Let’s sit down over there, and I’ll explain as best I can,” Jane offered, gesturing towards a bench at the edge of the lawn. James strode toward it and sat down with a big sigh.

“Ok, tell me everything,” he said.

“Ok. So… when my mother, Sabrina, was 16, she heard her mother and her grandfather arguing about something. Apparently, my grandmother had twin girls but it was the middle of World War II, and my grandfather was deployed. She couldn’t raise two kids on her own, so she gave one of the babies up,” Jane began. “I know it’s a bit confusing.”

Jane tried searching on social media first. | Source: Pexels

Jane tried searching on social media first. | Source: Pexels

“Don’t worry. I’m following.”

“So that’s when my mom learned about her twin sister, and she started searching for her with the help of her grandfather. She continued when he died, and she told me about this when I was a child. I started searching in her stead several years ago. I finally hired a P.I. a few months, and he gave me this terrible news. God! I should’ve hired him earlier,” Jane finished her story, hitting her lap with her fist for not acting quicker.

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“You mean three generations of people have been looking for my wife?” James asked in wonder.

“Yes, and I think we failed for so long because the adoption happened in New York and we assumed she was still there. When I started, I look at social media thinking I would recognize my mother’s exact face, but it didn’t work.”

“Yeah, we never got into that stuff. Melissa preferred to keep her things private,” James commented. He was still in shock after learning all this stuff. “What happened to the twins’ father?”

“He died in the war, unfortunately. I think that’s what made my mother and her grandfather try to find her sister. Because they lost so much in that awful time, and that’s why I continued,” Jane responded thoughtfully but changed the subject immediately. “I would love for you to meet my mom and the rest of the family.”

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“That would be… an honor,” James expressed, loving the idea of meeting Melissa’s relatives in her stead. She thought she was alone in the world until they got married, but now, a whole new side of her family tree appeared. It was wonderful. He only wished she was still around to receive all that love.

What can we learn from this story?

  • You can find people in many ways. While social media works best in today’s age, old methods like hiring a P.I. can work too.
  • It’s never too late to meet family. James discovered a whole new branch of Melissa’s family tree and was going to meet them in her stead.

Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a widow who discovered something shocking inside her walls.

This account is inspired by our reader’s story and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com. 

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