A man is so engrossed with his job that he fails to see his mother for 11 years. He arrives at an empty house and hears masculine noises in the cellar when he finally finds time to meet her. Robert was three years old when his father abandoned him. Sheila, his mother, raised him alone and worked two jobs to ensure he received an excellent education and a happy childhood!
Sheila invested all of her savings into a good university after Robert graduated from high school, where he majored in business studies. Years later, he became a wealthy businessman. Unfortunately for Sheila, Robert transferred to a different location after establishing his firm and rarely visited her. He used to see her almost every month, but he grew too preoccupied to devote time to her.
Sheila never felt bad about it because she was pleased of her son’s achievement and recognized how busy he was. She couldn’t see him because of her health concerns, but she sent him postcards every year on his birthday, often writing short messages on them about how proud she was of him. However, one year, Robert did not receive the postcard. He became concerned since he knew Sheila would never fail to send one. He immediately called her, but she did not respond. He waited for her to phone again, but she never did, so he booked a flight back the next morning.
Robert had returned to his hometown after an 11-year absence to see his mother. When he eventually got at Sheila’s house, he was taken aback by how ancient and run-down it appeared from the outside. It was in dire need of repair, and he felt bad for not checking on his mother for so long. “Mom? Hello, my name is Robert! Mom, I’m home! “He said as he knocked on the door, which swung open at the sound of his knock. He was perplexed as to why the door was not locked.
Stepping inside, Robert noticed the house’s inner condition was no better than the outside. There was dust everywhere, and dirty dishes were lying on the kitchen table. “Mom, are you in your room?” He climbed the stairs to her room, but she wasn’t there. Robert checked the whole house, but Sheila was nowhere to be found. Then he saw her phone on her bed. Where is she? Robert wondered, worried. He was about to leave the house to ask around the neighborhood for her when he heard something. He focused his attention on the sound, which appeared to be coming from the cellar.
It seemed like two men were discussing something. Thinking someone had broken in, Robert grabbed a nearby vase and slowly made his way to the cellar. As he approached, the sounds became clearer, and he clutched the vase tightly. When he was finally at the door, two men suddenly emerged from inside, and Robert dropped the vase in surprise. “Luke? Ethan? What the hell are you guys doing here? And where is my mom?”Luke and Ethan were siblings who lived next door.
Their parents were poor farmers, and the brothers were mocked by everyone — including Robert — as kids because they wanted to be farmers when they grew up, unlike other children with ambitious goals. Unfortunately, they became orphans when Luke was 18. They were struggling back then, so Luke called Robert and requested a job, but Robert told him he was too busy and ignored all of his phone calls.
Luke was disappointed that he couldn’t find work, but Ethan encouraged him not to give up. They worked together and eventually became prosperous farmers, owning several acres of land and gaining massive wealth, all thanks to their hard labor. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?” Robert repeated himself. Ethan and Luke exchanged an annoyed look. “Don’t you think you’re too late to ask that, boy?” Ethan replied to him angrily. “You’d know what happened to your mother if you didn’t block our numbers!””What?” Robert got increasingly concerned.
“What happened to mom?””She’s in the hospital,” Luke revealed. “She was hospitalized a week ago after falling down the house stairs. We called you, but you already know that story! … We came here to give her some fruits, and luckily, we saw her and took her to the hospital. She’s coming home today, so we thought we’d make her a nice meal,” he said, pointing to the veggies they took from the cellar.”I’m sorry,” Robert said, embarrassed. “Thank you, guys. Can you tell me where she was admitted? I’d like to pay her a visit.”
“Sure, we’re heading there in a bit to arrange for her discharge. You’re welcome to join us,” Ethan suggested. “All right, thanks, and I’m very sorry for the horrible things I said to you when we were kids…” Robert added, embarrassed. “It’s all good. Make sure you check on your mom regularly. She misses you so much. Do you even know that?” Luke asked, and Robert’s face flushed red with guilt.Later that day, Sheila couldn’t stop crying when she saw her son. “Oh my God! Is that you, Robbie? I missed you so much, honey!”
Robert wrapped his arms around her, tears in his eyes. “I missed you as well, Mom! I promise I’ll visit you often from now on. I regret not being there for you!” “Oh, you’re finally here, and that’s all that matters. I love you!” she told him. “Love you too, mom!. After Sheila was discharged Robert thanked Luke and Ethan once more for looking after his mother. “Thank you, guys…” He pulled out an envelope of money and handed it to them. “This is a small token for what you did for me,” he said, and the men pushed it away.
“Woah, Woah! Slow down, man!” Ethan said. “Money is important, but it’s never been a priority for us! We looked after your mother because she reminds us of our mother. So please don’t embarrass us by offering money in return….” Robert realized Luke and Ethan were genuinely nice guys and much better people to Sheila than him. That night, he joined the boys in cooking dinner for Sheila and cleaning her house. Sheila hadn’t been this happy in a LONG, LONG time.