Man Adopts Old Lady Living in Dirty Trailer so She Won’t Die Alone, Inherits $1M after She Dies — Story of the Day

A kind man adopts a poor old lady living in a dirty trailer to provide her with a better life. When she dies, he discovers that she left him a million-dollar legacy. He wonders where she got all that money until he reads the letter she left him.

Hector Hoffman came to a halt, trying to catch his breath. He examined his Apple watch and beamed with satisfaction when he saw how many calories he'd burned. The evening run undoubtedly benefited him, and he was happy that he had been so health conscious recently.

On days like those when the weather was pleasantly windy, Hector made it a routine to run in the evening. He was a businessman who mainly worked from home, and because of the overly comfortable work environment, he had gained a lot of pounds, which he knew wasn't doing him good.

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After running for a while, Hector sat on a bench and drank some water before starting a new lap. As he looked about, he saw there were a lot of trailers parked around the area. Many people in this part of town lived in mobile homes and trailers, finding it more convenient than permanent housing.

When Hector felt like he was ready, he resumed his run through the park, and it was then that he noticed an old woman seated on a bench at the far end. That was the fourth time he'd seen her in a week. He knew that she lived in one of the old trailers and was often alone.

The woman reminded Hector of his grandmother who had the same frame, sweet smile, and wore the same round glasses. Before leaving the park that day, Hector decided to stop by the old lady and ask her if she was doing okay.

"Hello, ma'am," he said. "I'm Hector. I live around this neighborhood. I don't know how to say this, but you remind me of my Gran. I just wanted to ask if you're okay. I always see you around here, and you're always alone."

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The old lady blushed. "Oh, Hector, you're such a thoughtful man. People just don't seem to care about others any longer. Please, have a seat. I'm Lydia."

As Hector sat beside Lydia, she started telling him her story. "I've got three sons," she said. "Not so alone, if you think about it. But they are all occupied with their lives and work. I'm hoping they'll come to see their mother someday."

"I'm sure they'll show up, Lydia. But if you ever need to speak to someone, please let me know. I come to this park every evening to run. I'll be more than happy to listen."

"That's very generous of you, son. Thank you!"

Before leaving the park that day, Hector left his business card with Lydia.

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When Hector returned to the park the next day, he expected to see Lydia again, but she wasn't there. He thought maybe she didn't come to the park, but after running for a while, he spotted her. She was wearing running shoes and standing at the far end of the park, looking about in confusion.

"Lydia?" Hector smiled as he stopped in front of her. "Are you okay?"

Lydia straightened her dress and cleared her throat, blushing. "I thought I could join you while you run around the park. You see, walking is a great exercise. May I?"

Hector couldn't contain his broad smile after seeing how conscious Lydia was in her dress and running shoes. "Of course, it's fine, Lydia," he said, smiling. "You look great. Come on!"

From that day on, Lydia would join Hector whenever he came to the park to run. Though she often got tired and gave up too soon, she tried her best to keep up, and with time, she struck a close friendship with Hector.

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One day, Lydia didn't show up at the park after they had planned to go for a walk. Hector waited for her, assuming she was just late. He had her phone number, so he called her, but she didn't pick up.

Hector was suddenly concerned. He went to her trailer, but she wasn't there either. At this point, he decided to ask her neighbors, and it was then that he learned Lydia had been rushed to the hospital the night before after she fainted.

Hector drove straight to the hospital, where he saw a pale Lydia smiling faintly from her bed.

"What happened, Lydia?" he asked, worried. "Why didn't you call me when you weren't feeling well?"

"Oh, darling, I was about to," she said quietly. "But I don't know what happened. I only remember waking up here..."

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"Do you want me to call your family? I think they should know you're here."

"You can try," she said faintly, "but I don't think they will come, honey. I don't…"

Hector still dialed Lydia's sons, but as she had predicted, they had no intentions of visiting her. "She's not our problem! Don't call us again!" her youngest son said and hung up.

Seeing Lydia fading before his eyes without her family to lean on, Hector decided to apply for Lydia's legal custody.

"I want to invite you to spend your last days with me," Hector suggested to Lydia. She gladly agreed because her children disowned her and she also wanted to breathe her last breath happy. Getting her custody was a tedious process, but it all worked out in the end.

Lydia and Hector lived harmoniously, constantly walking in the park and watching her favorite TV series. Hector tried his best to brighten the last days of his friend's life. The day before her death, Lydia said they were the best months of her life.

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Lydia's last wish was that her sons at least attend her funeral, but they didn't want that, and Hector had to work hard to persuade them.

Finally, on the day of the burial, after everyone was done with prayers and it was time to say goodbye to Lydia, a black car pulled outside the burial grounds. A stately man emerged from the car and introduced himself as Lydia's lawyer, Mr. Benerson.

"Mom had a lawyer? What would she do with one? She barely scraped by after dad passed away!" her eldest son said, shocked.

Mr. Benerson approached Hector and handed him an envelope. "Mr. Hector Hoffman? Mrs. Wolf left something for you and her sons. She knew her last days were near, and she asked me to hand over these to you after her death. To be precise, you've inherited all of Mrs. Wolf's money - a million dollars."

"A million dollars?" There was panic among Lydia's sons. "Where did she get all that money? How can she leave it to a stranger?" They threatened to sue Hector and lay claim to the money, but Hector didn't react.

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Instead, after Lydia's burial, he sat alone beside her freshly dug grave and read her letter. Soon, he could feel hot tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Dear Hector,

Don't be sad. I was aware this day was near, so I was prepared for it.

Thank you very much for everything you've done for me, Hector. You were the family God sent me at a time in my life when I was terribly alone. Because you looked after me like family, I had to do this for you. I saved this money all my life and never spent a penny of it for myself. Why, you ask? Because I didn't see the point. I wanted to give everything to my sons at first, but they never needed me once they were on their feet.

I was content with the humble life I led. I didn't know what to do with the money when I realized I only had a little time to live until I thought of you. You deserve this, Hector, so I hope you accept it with gratitude. Thank you for becoming my family when I needed someone to lean on. I will forever be indebted to you for that.

Love,

Lydia Wolf."

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Hector couldn't stop crying. He knew he would always miss Lydia. He sat by her grave for a long time, telling her how much he'd miss her company and crying his heart out.

Meanwhile, Lydia didn't let her sons slide. She left them a letter, telling them how horribly they had treated her. And she had a surprise in store for them:

"

With love,

Your mom."

What can we learn from this story?

• We don't choose our family, but we can decide who deserves to be called family and who doesn't. Lydia's boys never cared for her due to her impoverished lifestyle, while Hector treated her like family. In the end, Lydia considered Hector as her real family more than her own sons, and she rewarded him for it.
• One day, everyone gets what they deserve. Lydia's selfish sons got what they deserved in the end: nothing but an old trailer.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a millionaire who accidentally finds out that his daughter lives in an old trailer with her twin babies.

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