A boy who lost his parents weeks ago in a car crash is stunned to find his late mom’s photo in his school principal’s office. Little does he know it will reveal something shocking about his mother’s past.14-year-old Patrick stood outside his school principal, Mr. Walton’s office, nervous and depressed. He knew why Mr. Walton had called him, and he was not interested in having any such talks whatsoever.

A few weeks ago, Patrick lost his parents, Stella and Edward, in a terrible car crash. He knew Stella was an orphan and Edward was a single child whose parents died years ago, which is why he didn’t have any relatives. Patrick was placed under the guardianship of Mr. Duncan and his wife by Social Services after his parent’s demise.Mr. Duncan was Patrick’s temporary guardian and later became his teacher when Patrick was admitted to the school where Mr. Duncan worked.

Unfortunately, Patrick had a hard time coping with his parents’ loss, so he couldn’t concentrate on his studies and was constantly missing his assignments and failing his tests. When word about his poor performance reached Mr. Walton’s ears, Patrick was summoned to his office. He knew Mr. Walton would ask him why he was doing so terribly at his studies, and he’d have to talk about his parents’ loss, which he didn’t want to.

However, he knew he couldn’t really escape Mr. Walton either, so he took a deep breath and entered his office. “I’m sorry, Mr. Walton,” Patrick replied, embarrassed. But it wasn’t his fault entirely. He was so preoccupied with thoughts of his parents and how he’d respond to Mr. Walton’s questions that he forgot he was supposed to knock.

As he stood at the door, he suddenly wondered why Mr. Walton panicked when he saw him come in and what he was trying to hide. “It’s okay. Come inside and take a seat,” Mr. Walton remarked. “How do you know my mom, Mr. Walton? What are you trying to hide?” “So, Patrick,” he said as the boy sat. “You’re probably aware of the reason for our meeting today.

I know things haven’t been easy for you on the family front, but if you don’t pay attention to your declining grades, we won’t be able to let you take the exams. It would be difficult for us as well….Patrick sat motionless, not uttering a word. What would he tell him in response? That he wanted to stay home rather than attend school? That he didn’t have any friends in his new school and didn’t care either because he only wanted his parents back?

He saw himself as a strong 14-year-old, not a weak little boy who cried because he yearned for his parents. He was far too stern to admit how much he missed them.Sadly, he didn’t trust anyone enough in his “new” life to confide in them and tell them what was going on inside his head, and every time he sat down to study, he’d spend hours thinking about his parents and nothing would come to him.

“Are you here, Patrick?” Mr. Walton asked, interrupting his thoughts. “Can you promise me you’ll work harder from now on?” “I,” he finally said. “I’ll do my best, Mr. Walton, but I’m having trouble concentrating because…” Patrick didn’t get to finish because Mr. Walton’s phone rang and cut him off. “Just a minute, Patrick, I’ll be right back,” Mr. Walton said and he left his office to take the call.

If the phone hadn’t rung, Patrick would have almost spat out the real reason why he was so distracted. He sighed and shook his legs in anxiety.When another couple of minutes passed and Mr. Walton didn’t return, Patrick suddenly thought about the moment he’d seen Mr. Walton hiding something. He thought it over, and he knew what he was going to do next was terribly wrong, but he was desperate to find out what was going on, so he cautiously opened Mr. Walton’s drawer,

making sure no one saw him, and what he found inside brought tears to his eyes. “MOM?” Patrick couldn’t believe he was staring at a photograph of his mother and Mr. Walton. His mom looked way younger in the picture and Mr. Walton was hugging her and smiling.

At that moment, Mr. Walton emerged from outside his office, and he took a step back when he saw Patrick holding the picture. “You, you shouldn’t have….” He ha barely started speaking when Patrick turned to face him, tears rolling down his cheeks.” How do you know my mom, Mr. Walton? What are you trying to hide?” he almost yelled.Mr. Walton sighed and removed his glasses. “Could you please have a seat, Patrick? There’s a lot you should know…

“Mr. Walton’s eyes welled up as Patrick sat dumbfounded. He wasn’t sure what to say to Patrick, but he knew it was time. He revealed himself to be Patrick’s grandfather and his mother’s father. Stella became pregnant with her boyfriend’s child when she was 17 years old, 15 years ago. Her boyfriend refused to accept responsibility for Patrick, and Mr. Walton was opposed to her pregnancy, so he evicted her.

“I was everything to her because my wife died during childbirth,” he explained. “I realized I’d made a terrible mistake by kicking your mother out when I started missing her.” I pleaded for her forgiveness, but it was too late. She’d found your father, was happy with her family, and didn’t want me around. ” Patrick, she was a strong woman. Your mother was one of the most courageous people I’ve ever met. She did not abort you even when she had no one to support her.

I was so embarrassed by what I had done. When I learned that your parents had died and that you were alone, my heart broke for you, and I asked Mr. Duncan to become your guardian and protect you. I was too shy to look you in the eyes… “I’m sorry,” he said finally. “Mom said she was an orphan!” “Are you my grandfather?” Mr. Walton nodded when Patrick asked.

“You can be angry at me for what I did, Patrick. Now, I know you’ll be hesitant to stay with Mr. Duncan and would prefer to switch guardians and never see me again, but…” Patrick jumped to his feet and hugged Mr. Walton tightly before he could finish. “I’d like to change guardians, yes, I’d like to live with you, Grandpa!” Everything is forgiven by me! I am overjoyed to have you. We can go fishing, play baseball, and do a variety of other enjoyable activities…

“You have no idea how happy I am today, grandpa. Mom and dad always said that family is the most important thing God has given us, and I am so grateful that I still have one. “I adore you!” he exclaimed. Mr. Walton couldn’t believe how well things had turned out. He embraced Patrick, relieved to see his grandson again. He’d traveled a long distance to get there, but he was determined to make up for lost time with Patrick.