An old man saves money on transportation by walking 6 miles to see his grandson daily and spends it on gifts for the child. When he arrives to meet his grandson one day, he finds the small boy getting into a stranger’s car, and he is terrified.
Luke was eight years old when his parents, Marissa and Peter, got divorced. Peter had fallen in love with another woman, and he went on to start a family with her.
However, a month after their divorce, Marissa learned via Peter’s father, Ronald, that Peter and his pregnant fiancée were killed in a car accident.
After losing his dad, Luke only had his mom by his side. She raised him on her own and made sure he never missed out on anything. But Luke also had Grampa Ronald with him, who loved the young boy nothing less than his own son.
“Grampa is the best, mom! He loves me a lot. It’s so good that Grampa lives close to us. I can always spend time with him!” little Luke always told Marissa, but she didn’t appreciate that. Every time she saw Ronald getting close to her son, she felt like someone was rubbing salt into her wound. It would evoke the memories of her broken relationship with Peter.
So to ensure Ronald stayed away from her and Luke, Marissa moved to another home far from Ronald’s.
“Step right away!” Ronald shouted, threatening the man with his cane. He hurried over to him and yanked Luke out of the car.
“Don’t do this, darling,” 88-year-old Ronald begged her. But Marissa didn’t listen.
Once Luke moved away, Ronald was very sad. He was widowed, his only son had passed away in a car crash, and he felt very alone. He wanted to pay Luke a visit, but his old car had stopped working long ago, and his savings wouldn’t let him get a new one. Besides, Marissa would be mad to see him.
One day, Ronald was having breakfast when his phone rang. He picked up the call and was in tears when he heard Luke’s voice on the other end of the line.
“Oh, how are you, darling? Do you miss Grampa, Luke?” he asked, his voice choking.
“Gram – Grampa. Mom is sick. She fainted, and she was sent to the hospital. They didn’t take me with her. I miss you, Grampa! Can you please come visit me?” he begged, crying.
“What?” Ronald’s voice was suddenly stiff. “Oh, honey, don’t worry. Grampa is coming, okay? Are you alone at home, Luke?”
“No,” replied the boy. “I’m at Mrs. Green’s house. She lives next door to us. Grampa, I miss mom! And I miss you too!”
Without thinking, Ronald got to his feet, hurriedly threw on a jacket, and grabbed his cane. He didn’t even finish breakfast and headed to Luke’s neighbor’s house.
Ronald didn’t have much money, so he decided to utilize what little he had to buy something for Luke to brighten his mood. Then he walked 6 miles to see his grandson.
At Mrs. Green’s house, Luke ran to him and hugged him tightly. “Grampa! I missed you!”
“Oh, I missed you too, Luke!” Ronald sighed, hugging the boy close.
From that day on, Grampa Ronald visited Luke every day. To save money for gifts for his little grandson, he decided to skip the transportation and walked 6 miles daily instead. He’d be panting and fatigued by the time he made it to the Greens’ house, but he never showed how strained he was.
“Grampa, you look very tired. Do you want to rest?” Luke asked Ronald one day after the old man sank onto the house stairs soon after arriving.
But Ronald feigned a smile on his face and said, “Not at all, boy! Grampa is still very strong. Walking 6 miles is a cakewalk for me!” And little Luke smiled broadly.
Whenever Ronald visited Luke, he got him candies, toys, and even his favorite pizza. He played with him despite being tired and read him story books. Not to mention, walking 6 miles per way daily as an 88-year-old was no joke, but Ronald did it out of love for his little grandson.
One day, before visiting Luke, Ronald got a box of Luke’s favorite chocolates and decided to surprise him with it. But as soon as he arrived, he saw Luke getting into a stranger’s car.
“Who are you? Where are you taking my grandson? Stop right there!” he shouted from afar.
The man holding the car door for Luke looked back, a worried look on his face.
“Step right away!” Ronald shouted, threatening the man with his cane. He hurried over to him and yanked Luke out of the car.
“Are you okay, Luke?” he asked, hugging him, his cane pointed to the man. “Did he try to hurt you?”
“No, no, Grampa! You got it all wrong!” cried Luke. “This is Mr. Green, Mrs. Green’s husband. You told me you were not really well yesterday, so I thought I would visit you today. Mr. Green was taking me to your house.”
“Oh, is that it?” Ronald lowered his cane and looked at Mr. Green apologetically. “I am sorry, sir. I was just worried about my grandson, and I overreacted. Please pardon me.”
Mr. Green laughed. “It’s okay, sir. Would you like to join me for tea now that you’re here?”
“Would appreciate that,” Ronald said shyly. “Thank you.”
While speaking over tea, Mr. Green revealed he’d taken a day off from work, so he decided to take Luke to meet Ronald. He also told Ronald that after learning he walked 6 miles every day to see Luke, some neighbors pitched in and started a GoFundMe page so they could get him a new car.
Ronald was in tears and politely refused Mr. Green. “Trust me, sir, that would be unnecessary. It would cost a lot of money, and I can’t take it.”
But Mr. Green assured him that the neighbors really wanted to do it for him. And after a lot of persuasion, Ronald had to agree.
“Thank you so much,” he said in tears. “I will never forget your kindness.”
Soon after, Ronald drove to pick up Marissa from the hospital in the brand new car and had a heartfelt talk with her, in which he apologized for what Peter had done and asked her not to stop Luke from seeing him.
“I know it won’t be easy for you,” he said. “But I hope you understand.”
With time, Marissa’s heart melted, and she let Luke decide. If he wanted to be around his Grampa, she didn’t have the right to stop him, she thought.
Now things have changed so much that Ronald joyfully drives to see his grandson every day and helps Marissa around the house so she can focus more on her career, which she deep down really appreciates. And Luke doesn’t miss out on his Grampa’s love.
“I am so happy you visit me every day, Grampa!” little Luke chirps every time Ronald drives to him.