A son helps his busy mom by cleaning the house and one day finds a secret safe inside the pantry. He tries his birth date for the password, and it works. What he finds inside the safe leaves both him and his mother shocked. 12-year-old Simon was sitting on the couch in the living room, trying hard not to cry. His champion and superhero, his father, was finally leaving the house, and Simon could do nothing to stop it.

Simon’s parents, Andy and Linda, had been legally separated after Linda found out Andy was cheating on her. Either way, life had never been blissful for the family. They’d been living paycheck-to-paycheck with no frills, no vacations, no family outings. Now, following the divorce, Linda was left to care for Simon alone. She had started working two jobs to make ends meet.

Simon decided to clean the house one day after Linda had left for work. He knew she’d be exhausted by the end of the day, and he’d seen how overwhelmed she’d be with work and chores. For Simon, it was the weekend and he was free, so he thought it would be a good idea to lend a helping hand to Linda. “I know you wouldn’t say it out loud, mom,” Simon thought as he vacuumed the rooms, cleaned the dishes, mowed the lawn, and even finished the laundry.

Linda couldn’t find her house when she returned home. Everything was spotless, everything was organized, and the laundry was done! “Oh my goodness, honey! Did you complete everything? “Simon, who was beaming broadly after preparing a special dinner for her, asked. “All you need to do today is rest, mom, and I’ll make sure you’re not burdened with housework again!” he said, pulling out a chair at the dining table for her.

“Let’s get some fresh air before dinner! Today I made your favorite pasta!” Linda couldn’t stop crying and hugged Simon tightly. “Oh, dear. I adore you to pieces. My son is the greatest son on the planet!” “You are also the best mother, mom!” Simon responded as they hugged each other. “Please hurry. The pasta is becoming cold!”

“I assumed he didn’t care about us, but this… I had no idea about any of this! I had no idea there was a safe there!” Linda and Simon shared a delicious dinner and then spent the rest of the evening catching up on their days before Linda left for work again at night. Simon resolved to prepare dinner every day before she arrived home so that she would not have to deal with all of the housework. Furthermore, he had already resolved to clean the house every weekend in order to alleviate Linda’s burden even further.

Simon was cleaning the house one day when he decided to clean the pantry as well. He couldn’t recall the last time they even dusted it, so he gathered his cleaning supplies and began brushing the shelves inside one by one. Simon noticed something behind one of the stands after removing the boxes from it. When he pushed the shelf, he was surprised to discover a hidden safe behind it.

It was the same color as the wall and could have gone unnoticed, but it caught his eye. “Wait, did mom and dad find out about this?” Simon wondered as he tried different combinations to open it. First, he tried his parents’ birthdates, but they didn’t work. He shot his birthdate, and the safe opened! Simon retrieved the contents of the safe, stunned, and couldn’t believe his eyes.

Inside was a thick envelope containing $30,000, what appeared to be property papers, and a letter from his father. Simon quickly opened the letter to read it, and soon, hot tears streamed down his cheeks. Hello, Linda. Remember how I mentioned a safe in one of my letters? This is the one I was referring to. While I understand that things did not work out between us, I still love you and Simon because a piece of paper cannot simply break the bonds we’ve shared for so long.

I’m sorry I couldn’t be a better husband to you, but I’ve always given it my all. I was conflicted when we decided to part ways. I was embarrassed by what I had done, but more importantly, I was concerned about your future with Simon. So I’ve decided to leave you the property papers for both our house and the house I inherited from my aunt. I’ve also left my savings, which should get you and Simon by for a while.

We don’t need to argue about asset division now that you have all of the property to yourself. I wish you and Simon a happy future. Please accept my apologies for hurting you both. After reading his father’s letter, Simon couldn’t stop crying. He had no idea what had happened between his parents or what had caused their divorce, but he could tell his father wasn’t happy.

Simon confronted Linda when she returned home that night. “What letters did your father write to you, mom? Be truthful with me! “He yelled, then told her about the letter and hidden safe he discovered earlier that day. Linda admitted that she had received letters from Andy, but she had never opened them and had simply thrown them away.

“I assumed he didn’t care about us, but this. I had no idea about any of this! I had no idea there was a safe there! Andy had to have put it in during the renovations last year! “She said this as she read the letter Simon had discovered. Linda went to her room and read all of Andy’s previous letters to her, and she couldn’t stop crying. “Simon, your father adored us. He still loves us despite the fact that he cheated on me.

He is currently residing in his grandfather’s old trailer “She said this while crying even harder. Sumon embraced her. “Everyone, Mom, deserves a second chance… He adores us. It would be unjust to just let him go.” Linda had never intended to contact Andy again in her life, but after reading his letters, her heart melted. Andy tearfully apologized to them after she called him and invited him home for dinner to talk things out maturely.

“I apologize,” he said. “I wasn’t thinking clearly. Not that it can make up for what I did, but I sincerely apologize.” “Dad,” Simon cut him off abruptly. “When you weren’t around, I had to take over as man of the house. I looked after and cared for Mom. So if you want to leave us, I don’t mind. I know I can take care of Mom. If you stay with us, you must promise me that you will not break her heart again.

I appreciate your concern for us, but I also adore my mother….” Andy shed tears as he hugged Simon. “You’re correct, son. A true man will always care for his family and give his all to make them happy, even if the family has abandoned them. I promise not to abandon you and Linda again…

I apologize. Linda, please come here.” Andy’s tears did not stop as he embraced his ex-wife and son once more. He resolved not to be swayed by temptations again because he did not want to miss out on his precious family. He realized he had made a mistake by letting them go, and vowed never to do so again.