A few days earlier…
“Mommy,” said Eve sadly. “Can you get me a doll?”
“Honey,” Pauline gently replied. “You know we’re on a tight budget this month. Mommy will buy you one next month. That’s a promise.”
“But mommy…” Eve’s voice began to crack. “My birthday is in two days. Did you forget about it?”
“Oh, no, no, sweetheart! Not at all!” Pauline said, but she had actually forgotten and felt terrible about it.
“Are you still not going to get me a doll? I don’t have any friends, mommy. Nobody wants to be friends with me because we are poor. That doll can be my best friend…”
“Oh honey,” Pauline hugged Eve. “I will get you the doll. Promise. Don’t be sad, ok?”
Pauline knew the kids at Eve’s school didn’t treat her well because she wasn’t as rich as them, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. Children can be cruel at times.
Present day…
Pauline was delighted after buying the doll. She couldn’t wait to give it to Eve and see her beautiful smile. The doll was one of those vintage kinds, holding a tiny baby in her arms.
“Oh, Eve will be so happy!” Pauline thought on her way back home.
And Eve was. The little girl’s joy knew no bounds when Pauline showed her the doll on her birthday.
Sometimes, the cause of someone’s smile is the source of another person’s grief.
“Ta-da! Mommy got the doll for Evie!” Pauline exclaimed, holding the doll in her hands. “Can mommy have a kiss for that?”
“It’s so pretty! Thank you, mommy!” Eve chirped as she kissed Pauline on the cheek.
As Pauline handed over the doll to Eve, she suddenly heard a strange crackling sound.
“What was that?” Pauline wondered.
She shook the doll, holding it close to her ears, and heard the crackling again.
“Mommy! Give it here! I wanna hold my doll! Please! Please!” Eve said, excited to play with it.
“One second, honey. I think there’s something in here…”
It was then that Pauline examined the doll and found a secret pocket sewn into the doll’s outfit. She undid the loose threads around it, and a note fell from it.
Eve quickly picked it up and said, “Mommy, it says, ‘Happy Birthday, Mommy.’ It’s not your birthday! It’s my birthday! This is so silly!”
When Pauline read the note, she noticed the message seemed like it was scribbled by a child. At that point, the thought of the woman selling the doll flashed through Pauline’s mind.
The next day, she returned to the flea market with the doll, and luckily, the woman’s stall was still there.
“Oh, I’m glad I found you here!” Pauline said. “I bought this doll yesterday, and I found a note inside…”
When the woman, Miriam, saw the note, her eyes welled up. “My daughter got this doll for me,” she said quietly. “She passed away two days before my birthday…My husband and I, oh, I’m sorry…” The woman covered her face as her tears started to flow.
“I’m really sorry for your loss,” Pauline said apologetically. “I had no idea. I know I can’t take away your pain, but if it helps, I can give you a hug.”
“Oh, thank you…” Miriam said. Pauline gave her a warm hug, after which Miriam revealed her sad story, which brought tears to Pauline’s eyes.
“My little daughter was diagnosed with cancer,” Miriam said. “We needed money for her chemotherapy. My husband and I work at a factory. We didn’t have enough money to cover her hospital bills, so we set up a stall here to sell our old furniture and things we didn’t need.”
“But we couldn’t save our daughter…She—she left us too soon. We’re selling her toys because every time I look at them, it just makes me sad.”
“One night, when I held my baby girl’s hand, she asked me to be happy. She had said, ‘Mumma, when I’m gone, please remember me with a smile.’ So I decided to sell the toys. She had bought that doll, saying it would remind me of her. I’m sorry I feel like I’m oversharing with you, but my heart feels really relieved today. Thank you for listening to me.”
As Miriam finished, she broke down into tears again. Pauline consoled her, and the two women talked about their lives for a while. Pauline told her how she’d been raising Eve by herself and invited her over to spend time with them.
“Eve will love to meet you,” she said. “And thank you so much for the doll. It made my daughter’s day. I’m sure your daughter is looking at you and smiling. Thank you again,” she added before she left.
A few days later, Miriam visited Eve and Pauline at the trailer where they lived.
“This is in appreciation of your kind heart and patience in listening to me that day. I hope this helps you and Eve,” Miriam said, handing Pauline an envelope.
When Pauline opened it, she found a couple of dollar bills inside. $3000 in total. “Oh, Miriam, we can’t take this. This is a lot. No, no, this doesn’t feel right…”
“You can take it, Pauline,” Miriam insisted. “A mother’s heart knows how much it hurts when you can’t do enough for your child. We made this by selling the toys. Please keep it. If not for my sake, please keep it for Eve’s sake.”
Pauline cried. “Oh, Miriam, thank you. This will help us a lot. Thanks.”
From then on, Miriam and Pauline became friends, and Miriam loved and spoiled Eve too much. But the best part was that Pauline and Eve’s company helped Miriam heal and move on from her loss.
What can we learn from this story?
Help someone in need, and you’ll never regret it. Pauline and Miriam helped each other in whatever way they could. That helped Miriam overcome her grief, and Pauline and Eve found someone who cherished their company.
Sometimes, the cause of someone’s smile is the source of another person’s grief. Sadly, the doll which made Eve happy on her birthday was a reminder of Miriam’s sad past.
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.
Boy’s Innocent Promise Leads to Shocking Discovery in Old Lady’s Potted Plant – You Won’t Believe What It Was
When Daniel saw his older neighbor arguing with her son about her plants, he decided to help her. He offered to water her garden while she moved. Later, he discovered a note hidden in the soil that changed everything in an unexpected way.
“I can’t believe you would ask that of me! I can’t come here every day to water your plants! If you gave me the house, I would do it!” Daniel heard someone shouting as he stopped his bike in front of a pretty little house with a lovely garden. He knew Mrs. Carrino lived there, but he had never spoken to her and didn’t know who was yelling.
Suddenly, he saw a man leave the house, still shouting, with the older woman following behind. “Arnold, I asked you to help me, but all you care about is getting this house! Are you crazy? Do you want me to die so you can have my house?” she exclaimed.
Daniel’s eyebrows raised in surprise, and he thought about leaving, but he couldn’t move.
Then, he heard a loud crash of metal. “What the—” he said to himself.
“You’re being dramatic, Mom! This house will be mine anyway. I can’t believe you’re acting like this when I’m trying to help you move!” Arnold shouted.
“Leave right now if you’re going to act like that!” Mrs. Carrino replied. Arnold angrily stomped to his car and drove off. They were so caught up in their argument that they didn’t even notice Daniel standing there with his bike.
Finally, Mrs. Carrino looked over and noticed him. “Oh, dear. What are you doing here? Do I know you?” she asked.
“I live two houses down the street. I’m Daniel, Caroline’s son,” he said, pointing back to his house. “I’m sorry, but I was biking around and heard the yelling. Are you alright, Mrs. Carrino?”
“Oh, I remember you now! It’s nice that you know my name. Don’t worry about it. It was just my son being difficult,” she explained.
“Why is he acting like that?”
“Well… I’m moving to a nursing home, and I asked him to help me. But he only came here to ask if I could give him the house. He wants to move in, but I know he’ll just sell it. He doesn’t value it like I do. I worked hard for this place, and as long as I’m alive, I won’t sell it,” Mrs. Carrino said. “Then he threw a fit when I asked him to water my plants. I guess you saw the rest of the fight.”
“I can do that,” Daniel said, shrugging his shoulders.
“Do what?”
“Water your plants.”
“I can’t pay you, dear,” Mrs. Carrino replied, looking sorry.
“I know. But I live so close. It’s not a problem,” Daniel insisted, making her smile brightly.
A few days later, Mrs. Carrino moved to a nursing home nearby, and Daniel kept his promise. He visited her home almost every day to water her plants and was happy to help. Before long, he started to love gardening and would visit Mrs. Carrino to ask about adding some new plants.
Dropping the shovel, Daniel used his hands to dig up a mason jar with a metal lid and found a note inside.
“Dear Daniel! Thank you for your help. This house is now yours! Go inside and find all the paperwork. You and your family can move in whenever you want!”
Daniel couldn’t believe his eyes. He rushed inside, using the key Mrs. Carrino had left him. On the kitchen counter, he saw the title to the house. Although he didn’t understand most of it, he saw his name at the bottom.
Still in shock, he called Mrs. Carrino, who confirmed everything. “You’ll need to sign it to complete the transfer. But I wanted you to find the note first!” she said.
His mother couldn’t believe it either. They could move into the house and stop paying rent. There was no mortgage, which would help their family a lot. They were so grateful for Mrs. Carrino’s gift that his mother and siblings started visiting her often, thinking of her as a grandmother.
But during their move, Daniel discovered something even more surprising. In Mrs. Carrino’s old room, he found another note. It was similar to the first one but said “Arnold.”
It turned out that Mrs. Carrino had originally planned to give her son the house if he helped her with her plants. However, after his rude behavior, she changed her mind and decided to give the house to Daniel instead.
This unexpected gift came just for being kind and helpful. It was a lesson Daniel would never forget.
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