Lonely Woman Shelters Man from Rain, Next Day Sees His Wife in Her Yard – Story of the Day

Lorena opened her front door and saw a wet man in the rain, so she invited him inside and offered him tea. They talked about their lives, and the man left when the rain stopped. But the following day, she saw his wife in her yard for a surprising reason.

A knock at the door interrupted Lorena's deep concentration. She had been working on her computer all day and didn't even notice when it started to rain. Suddenly, her surroundings registered again, and she heard the harsh thump of raindrops on her window and another knock on her front door.

She rose from the kitchen table where her laptop was set up. She went to answer the door and discovered a man outside, soaked from head to toe due to the rain. Her house didn't have a porch or an awning, so there was absolutely no shelter for him out there.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

"Ma'am, I know this is completely odd but is there any chance I could stay here until the rain stops?" the strange man asked, his arm hugging himself from the cold. It was the rainy season in Seattle, and the temperature had been dropping, so Lorena couldn't say no to him.

"Yes, sure. Come in, sir," she said, worried about what she was doing. She would not allow her kids to open doors to strangers, but this man didn't seem menacing at all, and she felt awful about his situation.

"Thank you so much. I thought I could walk to Home Depot, but the rain took me by surprise," the man explained, his hands still wrapped around himself. "I'm Gregory Smith."

Lorena nodded with a tiny smile and offered him her hand, "Lorena Higgins. Do you live nearby?"

"A few blocks away. I was hoping to take a shortcut through this road, but it started raining terribly. I hope I'm not putting you out," he continued with a polite grin.

"No, no. I needed a break from working all day. You look cold. Please, come sit over here." She gestured towards the kitchen table and cleared her things. She moved them to her room where she found a clean towel to hand to Gregory.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

Gregory took the towel gratefully, and she started to make him tea. "Oh, ma'am. You really don't have to do that. I'm already interrupting your day," he said.

"No, no," she shook her head again. "I'm actually craving tea too, and it's the perfect weather for it. Besides, tea is great for conversation, which I'm also craving like crazy."

"Do you live alone?" he asked curiously.

"No, I have four children. They're all in school right now, and I don't have to pick them up because they take the bus," Lorena continued. "But my life is a little tricky right now. It’s like we've settled despite the things that happened, and I'm never alone because you don't get to be alone with four children. But I still get lonely, you know?"

Gregory nodded in understanding. "I think I understand. I felt like that a lot when I was in college. It's like you're surrounded by people, but you still feel like there's no one."

She smiled, bringing the cups to the table and sitting next to him. "Exactly. It's a crazy feeling. But it's very real."

"Sometimes, my wife, Oona, and I still feel like that. With our kids away from college, we have each other, but we feel lonely. I think it's called the empty-nest syndrome," Gregory revealed, and soon enough, they started talking more about their families, and the minutes flew by.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

Suddenly, Gregory had a thought. "I wanted to ask something. You mentioned earlier that you and your kids were settling. What did that mean?"

"Ah, yes. My husband died a few years ago, from cancer, and my kids were old enough to understand everything that was going on, so they missed him like crazy. Then other world events happened, and it was hectic and insane for a long time here. I was trying to console them while mourning myself. Don't get me wrong. I'm glad things have settled with them. They are amazing and resilient. But now, I just feel lonely and lost. I don't even have time or desire to do things around the house. I wanted to paint some rooms or fix my garden up. Anything," Lorena replied, feeling slightly better since she was getting all her worries out.

There was just something about Gregory that made her trust him, and it felt like he was actually listening to everything she said. She wanted to keep talking, but they both noticed that the rain had stopped, and the tea in their cups was long gone.

Gregory wanted to keep talking but noticed his watch and rose. "Jesus, my wife, is waiting for me, and I have to go to Home Depot. Thank you so much, Lorena. This tea was great, but the conversation was even better."

"I hope I didn't bore you with my problems," Lorena laughed, embarrassed by everything she had told him.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

He shook his head. "Not at all. You were giving me shelter. The least I could do was listen and try to ease your worries. Thank you again," he finished and waved goodbye.

Lorena waited until Gregory was out of sight to return to work. She felt energized the rest of the day after getting all her worries out. She smiled brightly when all her loud, crazy kids came home from school. The rest of their evening was fantastic, with Lorena in such a good mood.

***

The following day, Lorena was working from her couch when she peeked out the window to see if Gregory would walk by. She was hoping to invite him for another cup of tea and conversation, but it seemed like he was not going to walk by, so she focused on work intently.

Suddenly, the sound of a rake caught her attention. Her eyes went to her window, and surprisingly, there was a woman out in her yard, picking up old leaves with the rake. Lorena closed her laptop quickly and went to her door.

"Hmm, excuse me, ma'am. What are you doing?" she asked in complete confusion.

The woman in her yard wore gardening clothes complete with a straw hat. She stood up, smiled brightly at Lorena, and tipped her headwear up. "Are you Lorena?"

"Yes…" she answered but trailed off as if asking a question.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

"It's so nice to meet you. I'm Oona, Gregory's wife!" the woman said, and Lorena returned her smile.

"Oh, it's nice to meet you too. But I'm still confused. What are you doing in my yard?" she questioned.

"We're gardening for you! See!" Oona proudly pointed towards the road where an old pickup truck pulled up. Gregory got out and waved at Lorena.

"Gardening?"

"Yeah! Gregory told me all about you yesterday, and what you've been dealing with. We decided to do something special for you. Everyone deserves a beautiful garden, right?" Oona chirped, and the couple got to work.

After a few hours, the garden looked beautiful. It was completed by the time her kids came home. Lorena invited Gregory and Oona for dinner with her family, which they quickly accepted.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

Soon, they became close friends, and Oona offered to babysit, which was a huge blessing for the widowed mother of four. Lorena never regretted letting a stranger into her home because she gained a friend in the end, but she still taught her children to be careful.

What can we learn from this story?

• Kindness is best paid in kindness. Lorena sheltered a man from the rain, and he came back with his wife to revamp her garden as a thank you.
• Sometimes, you just need someone to talk to and sympathize with. Lorena felt lonely despite her life settling after the death of her husband. Gregory listened and offered her comfort, which changed her perspective that day.

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 woman who sheltered a homeless girl and was robbed that night.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers 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.