Then one afternoon, while going through old boxes in the attic, I stumbled across an envelope in my late husband’s handwriting: For when we’re gone.
Inside was a letter and a check for $15,000.
I sat there, stunned, remembering the kind woman who had once let us live in her garage apartment for almost nothing. She had told us to use the gift to build a life. My husband and I had always promised we’d pay it forward.
That evening, I handed the envelope to her.
She looked at me, confused. “What’s this?”
“It’s your turn,” I said.
Her hands trembled as she read the letter. “Are you serious?”
I nodded. “My husband would have loved you.”
A New Beginning
She used the money to enroll in nursing school, buy a modest car, and volunteer at a community clinic.
Not long after, my son came to me nervously. “Mom… I want to propose.”
He hesitated. “I just want to be good enough for her.”
“You already are,” I assured him. “She doesn’t need perfection. She needs someone steady, kind, and patient. And that’s you.”
A month later, under twinkle lights in our backyard, he knelt down and asked her to marry him. She said yes through tears.
They skipped the big wedding and used what was left of the money to rent a small apartment near her school. The house grew quieter after they moved out—but it didn’t feel empty. It felt right.
Full Circle
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