A homeless old man was surprised to see an expensive-looking antique ring inside his cup while begging on the street, realizing the woman who just stopped by accidentally dropped it. He decided to rush to find her, but what happened next was something he did not expect.
Joshua lived in the streets for years after his family members refused to take him in. He would sit on the sidewalk every day with a cup in front of him, hoping those passing by would be kind enough to spare him some change.
Most of the time, people ignored Joshua, but there would be some exceptions. One particular woman stopped to talk to him – her name was Olivia Klein.
Olivia was in her 60s and experienced being both poor and wealthy in her lifetime, so she understood Joshua’s situation very much. After she was able to pick herself up years back, she made it a point to help those in need as she was once like them.
Every day, Olivia wore an old vintage ring that was a family heirloom. She got it from her grandmother, and she wanted to pass it on to her granddaughter one day.
The ring meant a whole lot to Olivia, as it was her motivation to work hard until she no longer had to worry about where to find money so she could eat every day. She strived until she rose up the ranks at a local company that eventually made her one of their directors.
On her way home from the grocery store, Olivia dropped a couple of ten-dollar bills in Joshua’s cup. Surprised at the huge amount, Joshua looked up and beamed at her.
“Thank you, kind madame,” he said. This was one of the few times people gave him more than just coins or dollar bills, and he was amazed.
“What is your name, ma’am?” Joshua asked. “I’ve never seen you around here.”
The old lady smiled. “My name is Olivia Johnson. I live in the house across from the flower shop. Maybe we just haven’t chanced upon each other in the past,” she replied.
“I see,” Joshua said. “It’s just that no one has helped me the way you have. Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. I believe that kindness always comes back,” Olivia said with a smile and walked away.
A couple of minutes later, Joshua decided to take the ten-dollar bills out of the cup. When he lifted them, he found a ring inside, too. It appeared old and antique.
He immediately remembered Olivia and realized she might have dropped it while putting in the bills. He stood up from the ground and ran after her. However, she had already disappeared without a trace.
Curious about how much the ring cost, he decided to enter a pawnshop. He handed the ring over to the clerk, who, in amazement, said it was a rare antique piece that she was willing to give him $6000 for.
Joshua’s mind started to fill with thoughts after hearing that handing over the ring would give him $6000. It could help him find a home for a couple of months and ensure he never grew hungry.
However, Olivia crossed his mind again, and her words rang in his head: “I believe that kindness always comes back.” He shook his head and refused to take the money.
Instead, he took the ring back and safely kept it in his pocket. He vowed to continue looking for Olivia so he could return it. Then he suddenly remembered that she had told him she lived right across from the flower shop.
He walked towards the street where the flower shop was and saw a simple yet beautiful white house in front of it. He knocked at the door, and after a while, Olivia opened it.
At first, the old lady did not recognize him. However, when he took the ring out of his pocket, she suddenly remembered and burst into tears.
“Oh my goodness, you brought my ring back! I thought I had lost it forever. I have been looking everywhere for it!” she cried.
Olivia looked at Joshua with admiration. She had just met him a couple of hours prior and he was in need, yet he came to return her ring. He had a smile on his face, knowing he was able to make Olivia’s day.
“Why did you bring it back? I mean, you could have kept it or sold it for a large sum of money,” she asked him.
“I believe that kindness always comes back,” Joshua replied. Olivia couldn’t help but smile. She didn’t think her words would resonate with Joshua, but they did.
“You helped me, and I wanted to help you, too. That belongs to you, and I thought it should remain in your possession,” Joshua explained.
Olivia appreciated the kind gesture and invited Joshua to enter her house to have a snack and some hot tea. However, Joshua refused, not wanting to be a burden to the old lady.
Eventually, Olivia was able to pass on the ring to her granddaughter as planned. She also made sure to tell her the story of Joshua, the homeless man who made it possible for her to give her the important family heirloom.
Her granddaughter, Stacey, was moved by the story. She wanted to share it with the whole world and help Joshua by creating a GoFundMe link for him.
In the end, Olivia and Stacey raised $160,000 for Joshua. They invited him over to their house, where they handed him a check. “You no longer have to sleep on the streets, Joshua,” Olivia said with a smile.
Joshua took the check and couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “How… where did you get all of this money?” he asked.
Stacey explained the power of the internet and how she used it to help him. Joshua couldn’t help but cry as he longed for the day he no longer had to sleep on the cold pavement. “Thank you,” he sobbed. “I don’t know what to say.”
Olivia helped Joshua open up a bank account under his name. He vowed to use the money wisely to no longer have to experience being homeless ever again.
The first order of business for Joshua was to get himself cleaned up. He took a warm shower in Olivia’s house, and they accompanied him to the barbershop to cut his hair and shave. Stacey also went to a nearby department store for a fresh set of clothes.
When Joshua was done with his makeover, Olivia became speechless. She saw a handsome old man standing before her, and she was smitten. Behind Joshua’s scruffy hair was a beautiful face that shone even brighter when he smiled.
For the first time, Joshua was confident enough to maintain eye contact with Olivia, too. He finally had the confidence to look at her pretty, petite face and her neat blonde hair.
Olivia and Joshua slowly started dating and later on got married. With Olivia’s help, Joshua began a new business as a blacksmith and started selling his line of rings.