Robber Breaks into Single Woman’s House and Sees Child Who Is a Carbon Copy of Himself — Story of the Day

A man who's fallen into a life of crime breaks into a stranger's apartment thinking no one is home and is stunned when he sees a little boy sleeping who looks exactly like him and it transforms his life.

Robert Wilson was 19 when he took the wrong turn that would bring him to disaster and a 15-year prison sentence. Robert, or Bob, as his friends and family called him, was a bright young man, funny, and energetic, but he was also impulsive and thoughtless.

Bob had finished high school the year before and had taken a year off to earn some money for college working for his uncle at his furniture store. Unfortunately for Bob, his uncle deposited every hard-earned penny into his college fund. He couldn't touch it, but he needed money...

Robert broke into the house without knowing who owned it. | Source: Shutterstock.com

Bob had his eye on an old cream and mint-green 1957 Pontiac that belonged to old Mrs. Dappler who lived next door. She couldn't drive anymore, and her son had told Bob he'd let it go for $2,000 -- but Bob just didn't have the money.

He took his best friend Dave to see the car, and the two young men walked around it. Bob ran a greedy hand down one of the Pontiac's sleek fins and sighed. "Dave, it's in mint condition and the engine purrs...Man, at $2,000 it's a steal..."

Dave grinned. "You've just given me an idea, Bob, bro! I know how to get that money, easy-peasy! Do you still have that toy gun from when we were kids?"

"Sure!" Bob said bewildered. "What do you want the gun for? Hold up a bank?"

Bob was about to start college and it looked as if he would have a great life. | Source: Unsplash

Dave's grin widened. "Close, my bro, very close..."

That night, Bob and Dave walked into old Mr. Mendoza's corner store at 23:00 just as he was about to close, with ski masks pulled down over their faces. They waved the toy gun in Mr. Mendoza's face and demanded all the money he had in the till.

Unfortunately for Dave and Bob, Mr. Mendoza had a weak heart, and the sight of the gun was such a shock that he had a heart attack. The two ran off with the money, leaving poor Mr. Mendoza on the floor.

Luckily for Mr. Mendoza, a passer-by saw him on the floor through the open door and called 911. Unlucky for Dave and Bob, they had left their fingerprints behind. They got 15 years each for armed robbery. It didn't matter if the gun was a toy -- Mr. Mendoza had believed it was real and that is what counted.

Bob didn't have the money to buy his neighbor's old Pontiac. | Source: Unsplash

Bob's family was devastated, and so was his girlfriend Sharon, who stopped visiting suddenly three months after he was arrested. "Why hasn't Sharon come to see me?" Bob asked his mother.

Mrs. Wilson looked away. "Sharon's a young woman, Bob, and she's going to college in the fall," she said quietly. "I told her she should carry on with her life and not look back."

"She didn't even say goodbye?" Bob asked bitterly. "I thought she loved me! We had plans..." Mrs. Wilson pointed out to Bob that he'd made his own plans and his own bed and he'd have to lie in it.

Bob refused his family's visits for the next 10 years and focused on surviving in prison. He made friends with his cellmate, a cat burglar who proceeded to teach him every trick of the trade.

Bob and Dave held up the store with a toy gun. | Source: Unsplash

When Bob was released 10 years later for good behavior, he was all set to take up a new career: breaking and entering. He didn't look up his family or Sharon. As far as he was concerned, they had betrayed him, and he was on his own.

Bob's cellmate had taught him well. He became an expert thief and made a good living from his criminal activity. Then one day, halfway through what had promised to be an easy job, his world fell apart.

Bob had been casing a pretty house in an affluent neighborhood and ascertained that it would be empty over the weekend. That night, he broke in through one of the bedroom windows and had a shock.

The bedroom wasn't empty! A boy was sleeping on the bed! The light from Bob's torch fell on his face and he grumbled and turned over in his sleep. Bob stepped closer. He couldn't believe his eyes. The boy looked so much like him!

Bob spent ten years in prison for armed robbery. | Source: Pexels

Then he saw the photos hanging on the bedroom wall. There were a series of snaps of the boy with his mother from infancy onwards, and the mother was Sharon! "My son!" Bob gasped. "She had my son!"

The next day, Bob walked up to Sharon's door and rang the bell. Sharon opened the door and stared at Bob in shock. "What are you doing here?" she gasped. "Get out!"

"You have my son," Bob said. "I have rights!"

"RIGHTS?" asked Sharon. "Did you think about my rights when you and Dave decided to do a little armed robbery on a Saturday night? You have no rights here Bob!"

Bob became a burglar. | Source: Unsplash

"I loved you," Bob said bitterly. "I loved you so much! And you didn't even tell me I have a son."

Sharon's eyes were filled with angry tears. "I love you, Bob, and I always will, but I have a duty to my son. I want a better example for him than you! Tell me, what are you doing with your life?"

Bob was silent. He nodded, turned his back, and walked away.

Over the next year, he turned his life around. He found himself a job in construction where he was earning good money and started going to night classes at the local college.

One Sunday, he took his courage in both hands and went to Sharon's house. He rang the doorbell and a boy -- his son! -- opened the door. "Hi!" the boy said. "Who are you?"

The boy looked exactly like Bob. | Source: Pexels

"Hey!" said Bob. "I'm an old friend of your mom's. Could you call her for me please?"

Sharon appeared and she looked upset. "What are you doing here?" she asked angrily.

"I've got a job," Bob said quietly. "And I've started college. Please, Sharon, give me a chance. I want to be the man you and my son need. Please."

She invited him in and Bob was stunned to find his mother and father there along with his younger sister, who was now all grown up.

Bob was finally home, and he was finally introduced to his son whom Sharon had named Bobby. He had his second chance and he was going to make a success of it.

Bob got to be part of a family again. | Source: Unsplash

What can we learn from this story?

• Don't act impulsively and follow the lead of others without considering the consequences. Bob ruined his life by agreeing to Dave's idea of holding up a store with a toy gun.
• Second chances are a precious gift. Not everyone gets the opportunity to make things right, but Bob grabbed his second chance and transformed his life.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about an aspiring young actress who is astounded to discover she is an exact double of a TV star, so they decide to do a DNA test.

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