I should be the one thanking you.” *** “So, this will be your room, Kevin! Do you like it?” Kevin looked around the room Denise and her husband, Miguel, had prepared for him while Linda tried to gauge Kevin’s reaction. “It’s nice,” the little boy shrugged.”Well, we can always change the decor if you don’t like it,” Miguel said, exchanging a worried glance with his wife.
“Let Kevin have some time to live in the room before making big decisions,” Linda said. Then she turned to Kevin. “I know it’s strange, dear, but give them a chance,” she whispered.
Kevin spun around and ran out the front door. He didn’t utter a word when Linda tried talking to him. That evening, while making her bed, Linda was deeply troubled by how Kevin had reacted.
But deep down, she knew Miguel and Denise would be far better parents than Jerry. Suddenly, Linda’s phone rang, snapping her to the moment. “Is everything OK, Denise?” Linda asked as she answered the call.
“No, Linda,” Denise sighed on the line. “I just went to check on Kevin and ask if he wanted a cookie, but he’s not here! I searched everywhere!
I think he’s run away!””Good Lord,” Linda gasped. “I think I know where he’s gone, dear. Don’t worry.
I’ll bring him back to you.” Linda arrived on Jerry’s doorstep with Kevin’s caseworker, Mrs. Jamerson. Just as Linda had suspected, Kevin was in the apartment.
“Does it bug you to see all your clever plans come to nothing?” Jerry smirked, leaning on the kitchen counter, as Mrs. Jamerson took Kevin aside to speak to the boy. “No matter what you do, Linda, Kevin will keep running back home to his dad, where he belongs!” Linda searched Jerry’s eyes for the emotions of a man struggling to cope with his wife’s death and of a caring father, but she only found greed there.
Then she looked at his branded clothes, the new, big TV screen, and something under the TV—she squinted her eyes—a brand-new gaming console, and she knew Jerry only wanted money. He never cared about Kevin in the first place. “I think I know how to convince you to do the right thing, Jerry,” Linda sighed and removed the checkbook from her purse.
“$50,000, and you leave Kevin alone.”Jerry scoffed. “C’mon, you can do better, Linda. Try $300,000, and we’ll see.” “But I don’t have that kind of money!” “Guess you don’t value your grandson as much as you pretend to,” he tsked.
“I’ll see you next time he comes home running,” he added, sinking into his armchair. Kevin emerged from the bedroom with Mrs. Jameson in tow.
He tearfully said goodbye to Jerry, who patted him on the shoulder without even looking away from the TV. *** “…so I had to do this, honey,” the letter continued, “to uncover your father’s true character. The legal papers in this box say that Jerry can get all my money with one condition: he should stay away from you.
But Jerry doesn’t know the documents are fake. “Give them to him. If he destroys them, then you know he values you more, but if he takes them to a lawyer…you have a safe, loving home with Denise and Miguel.”Kevin returned Granny’s letter to the box and picked up the legal papers.
Fear made his heart race as he looked across at where Dad sat watching TV. He didn’t want to believe Dad would turn his back on him, but doubts gnawed at the back of his mind. ”Hey, Dad!” Kevin crossed the room and held out the legal papers.
“I found these inside Granny’s sofa. They’re for you.” Dad muttered grumpily and snatched the papers from Kevin’s hand. The man started to grin as he read the agreement.
”I’m going out, Kevin.” When Dad leaped from his chair and strode to the door, Kevin’s fears were realized. But for a minute, he thought it might just be a coincidence that Dad left after reading those papers. Kevin followed him for several blocks before Dad entered a fancy-looking building.
It was a lawyer’s office. Kevin angrily wiped away tears as he headed back to the apartment. Granny was right; Dad loved money more than him.An hour later, Kevin walked up to Denise and Miguel’s front door and rang the bell.
”Kevin?” Denise frowned worriedly as she opened the door. “Is everything OK? We didn’t expect you to be back for another two days.” Kevin sniffed.
“Dad isn’t…I just, uh…” “Hey,” Denise crouched down and put her hands on his shoulder. “It’s OK. I know you’ve been going through a tough time.” Kevin smiled in tears as he looked up at Denise.
He hadn’t felt loved like this since Mom died. In his heart, he thanked Granny for asking such loving people to look after him. Tell us what you think, and 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 an arrogant bride who mocked her poor, old grandmother when she got an old ring as a wedding gift. The bride threw it away in anger but stood back in shock when it clicked open.
