The Unexpected Gift

Dorothy was such a sweet old woman; everybody loved her! All the kids in the neighborhood often came to her house just to get a taste of her warm chocolate chip cookies or fresh baked apple pie. Dorothy had two kids; a girl named Laura and a boy named Christopher who by now have had kids of their own. Laura's daughter Zoey was such a great little girl. She often spent time after school and on the weekends with Dorothy. The two were thick as thieves. Laura was somewhat of a party girl and stayed out a lot but Dorothy didn’t mind because that gave her even more time to spend with little Zoey. Zoey would always ask her grandma to read her a bedtime story before bed and most of the time she read the classic storybooks sitting up on her old book shelf, but this particular night, Dorothy decided that she had an extra special story to tell. Zoey excitedly threw on her pajamas, brushed her teeth and jumped straight into bed to hear the special story grandma Dorothy had in store. As Zoey got under the warm fluffy covers, Dorothy began her tale!

Quite some time ago, there was a man named Tim, and he loved to help people. He was quite well off and often spent his money on local community projects or helping to get much-needed items for those in need. Tim was such a giving person, and he tried to teach his son to be just like him but his son turned out to be the complete opposite. His son, Alan, was one of the most selfish, self-absorbed and nasty men you would ever meet. He felt that nobody should get handouts and helping others was a waste of time.

One day Tim went to do his weekly volunteer shift at the local shelter and while helping out there, he met a young lady who couldn’t have been older than 20; she was homeless and had a young baby in her arms. Tim found himself to be particularly drawn to this young woman and the two sat down and began to chat. Tim asked her how she had become homeless and the young woman said that she had been unable to work due to having a new child and didn’t have any other family support. She went on to explain that though she was homeless, she still believed that things would turn around soon; she made sure she stayed positive in the midst of her situation.

The day flew by and by time they realized; many hours had passed. By the nights end, Tim felt in his heart that he had to help this young woman. He offered her a job as his assistant where she could help him stay organized and on top of his work. He even let her bring the little baby along and set up an area for her to stay while the young woman worked. The woman was so grateful and such a hard-working individual that this arrangement worked for years to come.

Over the years, the two became very close and the young woman considered Tim to be just like a father to her. The little baby was now 8 and only knew Tim and “Poppop”. As far as she was concerned, that was her grandfather. The three would often go on trips and outings together in which Tim would invite his son, Alan but Alan was so upset that Tim had helped this woman out; he never wanted to be around her. Tim was often hurt at the way Alan acted towards them and tried his best not to show the woman and her daughter the extent of Alan’s cold nature. Tim always portrayed that Alan was just a very busy man and was never able to get time away from work to go on trips. The young woman didn't pay Alan much attention, she was just grateful to have Tim. He was such a wonderful figure to look up to and she considered him family.

One particular day, Tim asked the woman if she could take him to a doctor’s appointment he had scheduled because he hadn’t been feeling the greatest. The woman obliged and drove Tim to the doctor's office. Tim asked the woman to wait in the car and that the appointment shouldn’t be too long. As a couple hours had past, the woman tried calling Tim's phone and got no answer, so she decided to go inside to check in on him. To her surprise, Tim had been sitting in the front waiting room with a blank stare and a look of defeat on his face. The woman asked Tim what was the matter and Tim slowly looked at her and told her he was sicker than he thought. He explained that he had a rare illness and the doctors weren’t sure if they could help him. The woman hugged Tim tightly and vowed to be by his side every step of the way. She kept her word and helped Tim as everyday tasks became difficult and the rapid decline of his condition became very apparent.

For 7 months the woman served Tim hand and foot until one day she came to find Tim in the poorest condition she had ever seen. This particular day Tim asked the woman if she would grab an old box of his out of the closet. When the woman got the box and opened it, it was full of old photos and Knickknacks Tim had been saving over the course of his life. Tim looked in the box and grabbed an old, dusty black book. He said the book wasn’t worth much but it was very special to him because he had written thoughts and special events in it over the years. He wanted the woman to have it because it meant so much to him. The woman took the book without hesitation but was so focused on Tim’s condition that she didn’t have time to look through it. She helped Tim get to bed and per his request, she left him to rest for the evening.

The next morning about 4 a.m. the woman received a call from Alan. Alan told her that her assistance was no longer needed with Tim because he had passed just shortly before calling her. In a very irritated voice Alan made sure to remind the woman that she shouldn’t need to be too sad because Tim wasn’t even her family. The woman was distraught and the only thing she could think to do was to get out the house to take her mind off the pain that she felt. She walked for hours until she no longer recognized the area she was in. The woman eventually found her way back home and there she stayed for weeks heartbroken and reminiscing over the great times she and Tim had.

One morning as she woke up from her sleep, the woman remembered that Tim had given her that little black book, so she decided she was ready to open it and see some of Tim's thoughts and special moments. As she turned through the pages, she saw special events noted from years and years ago, but she abruptly stopped on one of the pages towards the middle of the book. It was from the day she and Tim had met. Tim had written so many wonderful and kind words about the woman and it made her smile for the first time in weeks. What was even more wonderful was that as she continued looking through the book, she saw that Tim had considered much of the time they spent together to be special moments in his life, and he often wrote about the woman and her daughter.

The woman spent the entire morning reading Tim's little black book from cover to cover. She then turned to the last page where she saw a few small pieces of paper wedged in the binding of the book. The woman took out the papers and turned them over and was in shock. It was 4 money orders totaling $20,000; they had been written out by Tim to her, along with a small note that read “Sweetheart, though we are not blood, you will always be my daughter! Please take this small gift as a token of my appreciation and use it for whatever you may need. Until we meet again, Tim”. The woman cried and was overcome with emotions. She decided to use half of the money and to donate the other half to the organization who helped her so many years ago. The woman appreciated and loved Tim so much that up until this day she still thinks about him and the wonderful impact he had on her and her daughter's life. The woman eventually went on to help others just as Tim had done for her.

“Okay, that’s it for now” Dorothy exclaimed! Little Zoey had just begun to fall asleep as Dorothy finished her bedtime story, and she kissed Zoey on the forehead, turned off the lights and went to her room to sleep for the evening. The next morning Zoey was awakened by the wonderful smell of fried bacon and toast filling the air. Zoey quickly got up and ran to the kitchen to eat. While she and Dorothy sat down to eat, Zoey told her grandma that she really liked the bedtime story from the night before and when she grew up, she wanted to help others and volunteer just like Tim. Dorothy smiled and said “Baby, I already know you’re going to do great and wonderful things when you grow up”.

Once Zoey finished her food, she rushed back to her room so that she could find a good bedtime story from the bookshelf that her grandma could read that night. She saw many of the stories that had previously been told but as she reached to the very top shelf, she pulled down a book she had never seen before. It was an old little black book. Zoey took the book to her bed and opened it up, it was a bunch of handwritten notes and dates. She was confused on what the book was, so she turned back to the front page. To her surprise it read “This book belongs to Timothy Tate year 1975”. Zoey held the book tightly with a grin on her face. It was at that moment; she realized the woman and little baby in her bedtime story was actually her grandma Dorothy and her mother Laura.