Young Policeman Spends Night in Cold Basement with Old Lady, & Next Day Leaves Service Forever – Story of the Day

25-year-old Steve was sick of his monotonous routine as a police officer. During his patrol duty, he encountered someone who turned his life around.

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon. The aromas of pies kept on the windowsills of houses down the lane for cooling weren't helping. Braving through the urge to take a nap, Steve drove through the suburb during his patrol duty.

This was the third week Steve was sent to patrol what the other officers called the "Gray Sector.' It was one of the oldest residential areas in the district and the significant population comprised of retirees.

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It was once a thriving town. It boasted wide roads, big houses, ample parks, and community centers. Living in this town was the culmination of the American dream.

But ever since the local car factory shut down, it was a road downhill. The youngsters would move out to different cities for work. But the older generation held on to their homes, hoping the glory of the good old days would somehow return. It never did!

Now, the town was predominantly older citizens living in mansion-like homes. They would wait for the holidays when their children and grandchildren would come to visit.

Steve was frustrated with his dull routine, especially when his partner left for a mandatory training program last week. The department didn't even replace his partner with another officer. They believed that Steve alone could handle the patroling since the sector was a low-risk area.

There were things he absolutely loved about his job and things that annoyed him to bits.

Steve loved that his job enabled him to help people. The 25-year-old was blessed with unmatched physical capabilities and was one of the academy's top students.

But he was frustrated with the bureaucracy in his line of work. Nobody ever asked him, but Steve secretly wanted to explore his entrepreneurial side. But no one, including Steve's businessman father, supported that idea.

Steve had a falling-out with his father when he refused to take over the old family business.

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Steve remembered his final altercation with his father.

"Help people, eh?" Steve's father said with a smirk. "As a security guard? That's the stupidest thing I've heard."

"You do not understand, dad! I don't just want to be a security guard. I want to run a firm that will provide quality security. But I have to lead by example. You see, in the private sector—"

"Now you are going to explain to me how to run a business? Don't you see how much I've sacrificed to build the business? And you just want to walk away from it?"

"It's not like that, Dad! I simply cannot sit in front of a desk and make spreadsheets. My life is out there."

Steve jolted as he had almost fallen asleep while driving. He was shocked. 'This can't be happening. What if I caused an accident!'

Luckily, Steve was driving slower than 20 miles an hour. Things in the "Gray Sector" did slow down by a lot. There wasn't a soul on the road, and most of the senior citizens were asleep in their homes after a hearty lunch.

Steve decided to stop his car and get out for some fresh air. He was wondering at the cruel joke life played with him. He was stuck in his job, had no money to start his business, and his father, the only person he could think of asking for help, had disowned him.

While Steve was wallowing in self-pity, his mind was interrupted by a faint voice from a distance. He looked around, trying to spot the source.

"Help! Help me!" a sound came from the direction of one of the houses.

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Instinctively, Steve grabbed his walkie-talkie from the car and rushed toward the house. The voice got louder and more precise. As he reached close to the home, he realized that the sound was coming from the basement.

Steve realized that the door to the basement was open. He ran down and noticed that it was waterlogged. He carefully went downstairs and saw an old lady holding a broken pipe that caused the waterlogging.

The lady tried her best to stop the leak with a bunch of towels, but she repeatedly failed as the water pressure was too high. Steve rushed, took the pipe from her hand, and tried to put it in its place.

Steve's strength overpowered the water pressure, and the erratic waterlogging stopped immediately. But it didn't prevent the leakage.

"Hi, ma'am. I'm Steve. I'm a cop."

"I realized that, young man. The uniform gave it away."

Steve chuckled and gestured to the lady to pass him the towels. He used it to temporarily stop the leakage.

"The pipes look old, ma'am. They need to be replaced."

"I know, son. I heard the leak and came downstairs. I called the local plumber, but he's out of town due to a family emergency and will only return next week. I just wanted to get it fixed and be gone."

"I don't think I understand, ma'am."

"Oh, enough with the "ma'am" already! Call me Judy. And you've already been of great help. I don't want to waste your time. Go, rescue a kitten from a tree or something."

Steve chuckled and said, "It's no trouble, ma'am— I mean, Judy!" Steve corrected himself swiftly. "And the towel-fix is only temporary. You know this pipe will burst any minute now, right?" he explained.

"Oh, dear!" Judy exclaimed, worried.

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"You know what, Judy!" Steve said with a soothing yet excited tone. "Today is your lucky day. I know a bit about plumbing. I redid the plumbing at my place when I moved into this town. How about I take a look at what's in that tool rack there and see how we can fix this pipe."

"You don't have to do that, young man," Judy said.

"I insist, Judy. And according to state and federal law, you cannot refuse plumbing help from a police officer," Steve joked as he cut the water supply to the specific pipeline.

Judy was charmed and felt immense gratitude toward Steve.

For the next few hours, Steve worked to find a proper solution to fix the situation. The task was painstaking, but Judy and Steve were great at conversation.

"So what was the thing you said about being gone?" Steve asked as he tried to remove the bolts of the damaged pipe.

"Well, since Roger passed away, living in this big house all by myself has been difficult. We never wanted to have had any children, so it's not like I need to pass the house down the lineage either."

"So, I've decided to give away this place and move to an assisted living facility. You know, it is not as bad as they make it sound in those TV shows. I have a few friends there, and they tempted me to join them."

"Why not sell the place and use it for something you want? You must have dreams you'd like to fulfill," Steve inquired.

Judy laughed and said, "At my age? Haha. Also, I lived a full life. Roger provided everything I wished for. We traveled. We even ran a successful online business, you know?"

Their conversation was interrupted by the ding of the oven.

"Alright! Take a break. Looks like the chicken pot pie is ready. Come upstairs and have something before you muscle away some more," Judy instructed Steve.

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As the duo enjoyed the scrumptious meal, Judy asked Steve about him. Steve shared how his father took him off his will, passed away, and gave away all his wealth to charity.

He shared how he entered the police force with a lot of confidence and how it was deteriorating with every passing day. He felt his dream of starting a security company with competent manpower was dying slowly.

Judy asked him about his business idea. She was amazed at the passion Steve had for his future company. But at the same time, she felt for him when Steve went silent mid-thought, doubting his ideas.

"Chin up, soldier! Don't you dare give up on your dreams. You deserve a shot at happiness. And I have a feeling that it is about to show up. You'll see," she consoled.

After dinner, Steve finished fixing the pipe. Judy thanked Steve and asked him to write down his address for her. "But you don't need to pay me back in any way!" Steve assured her.

"Of course not. But what if I wanted to come visit?" Judy asked, without revealing the real reason behind needing the address.

The following morning, Steve received a courier at his doorstep. The envelope seemed to hold some documents. It had a letter in it that read:

Dear Steve,

Now, don't get mopey about it. I'm not saying you are the son I never had or anything. But yesterday, you did help me visualize my curiosity about having a child or even a grandchild. In fact, you even reminded me of the times I'd banter with Roger.

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All I'm saying is, you engaged me in a beautiful human experience, and I'm forever grateful. And as I told you yesterday, you deserve a shot at happiness.

I'm transferring the house to you right away. And I've nominated you as the heir to my wealth and estate.

Steve was stunned by the letter. And the documents checked out. He visited Judy at the assisted living facility and agreed to start his own company.

He sold the house and used the money to hire a few security personnel. He worked hard to find clients who were impressed with Steve, given his record and professionalism.

Steve's dream had finally come to reality. His security company became renowned nationwide. He still visited Judy every week and cared for her until she breathed her last.

What can we learn from this story?

• Never give up on your dreams. Although his job was a significant roadblock, Steve held on to the sliver of hope that his company would be a reality. All he needed was some luck, and Judy made that possible for him.
• An act of kindness may cost nothing, but it could change everything. If Steve didn't help Judy, she would not have been able to start a new chapter of her life at the assisted living facility. If Judy didn't help Steve, he would not have been able to fulfill his dream. With their kindness, they changed each other's lives.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about an old woman who wanted to invite her grandson for her birthday but ended up meeting and getting to know a kinder stranger.

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.