Henry saw a little boy, David, watering the plants around his wife’s grave and decided to talk to him. The boy spoke of dreaming of Henry’s wife, shocking him because his daughter had the same dream. That’s when he decided to change the boy’s life.
“Hey, kid. What are you doing here?” David asked the little boy he saw watering the plants around Anastacia’s grave. Henry’s dear wife died almost a year ago, and he came to the cemetery every day.
A few months back, he started seeing the boy visiting a tombstone a few meters away. He was there every single day despite his young age, and Henry thought it was strange. But he did not approach him or ask around, thinking that his family must know he was often there.
After all, there was no age for grief. He was an older man, grieving his wife, and the boy was probably suffering over someone important. But today, he saw the boy watering the plants near his wife’s tombstone and wanted to know why.
“I think this is a sign from your mother.”
“I noticed that you come here every day, sir so I started watering her plants too,” the little boy answered, referring to Henry’s wife, and looking down as if he was focused on the task at hand. “I also dream of her every day, you know. I’ve never seen her, but I know it’s her. She holds my hand and smiles.”
Henry was shocked because his daughter, Margaret, told him about a dream she had where her mother was holding hands with a little boy. Margaret and her husband struggled with infertility, and she thought the dream meant she would get pregnant soon.
“That’s a beautiful dream. Tell me, what’s your name?”
“David, sir,” he replied.
“Well, thank you for this, David. I also noticed that you come here often, but there’s no one else with you. Who are you here for?” Henry asked, probing slightly.
“My mommy. She went to Heaven. I have to come see her every day too,” David explained, and Henry nodded his head.
“Okay, how about we go together and you can tell me more about her. I’ll tell you about my wife, who I have to come see every day too,” the older man offered, and finally, the boy smiled at him. He almost skipped to his mother’s tombstone and started talking about her.
The engraving on the tombstone read Miriam Harris and Henry realized that she was his daughter Margaret’s neighbor. She told him about her neighbor passing away after a long battle with cancer and how she left behind a kid with his stepfather. What a sad situation, Henry thought. At least, my wife and I had a lifetime together.
After David talked about his mother, Henry asked him about his stepfather. “So, is your stepdad going to pick you up soon?”
“No,” David replied way too quickly, making Henry frown.
“Why not?”
“He doesn’t like me, and I don’t like him.”
“What are you going to do then?” Henry wondered in concern.
“I’m staying here. I sleep here. The guard brings me food once a day,” David revealed, shocking Henry. A little kid couldn’t stay in this gravesite for so long. It was a safe neighborhood in New Jersey but still not safe enough for any child. He wondered why the guard didn’t call social services or something.
“Okay, how about this? Come with me and have dinner with me at my house. My daughter, Margaret, is the best cook in the world. I bet you would like something homemade,” Henry offered, hoping that the child would say yes.
“No, I shouldn’t go with strangers,” the kid protested, sitting on the ground.
“Oh, I thought we weren’t strangers anymore. We are kindred spirits, you and I. We both lost someone we loved dearly and can’t seem to be away from them. We visit them here every day. We tell them stories about our lives. But that’s not what they would want for us. They would want us to continue enjoying life,” Henry started, realizing that he was talking more to himself than the kid. “Would you come to my house? I promise I’m a good man.”
Finally, David nodded and stood up. “Alright,” he said and grabbed Henry’s hands. His daughter didn’t live that far from him, so he called her to come over and have dinner together. Margaret recognized David immediately but couldn’t believe what Henry told her privately.
After dinner, David fell asleep on the couch quickly while Henry and Margaret stayed in the kitchen, talking. “I can’t believe he’s been staying there all that time,” she commented.
“You haven’t talked to your neighbor lately?” Henry questioned, frowning.
“No, I’ve seen him once in all these months. He was wobbling from his car to the house, drinking from a bottle. I should’ve wondered about that child’s safety. I should’ve called CPS,” Margaret lamented, blaming herself.
“No, sweetie. We can’t change the past. But we can definitely do something about it now that we know what’s going on,” Henry decided. “And I think this is a sign from your mother.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“David has been dreaming about holding Anastacia’s hand. It sounds like the dream you told me about. Remember?”
“Yeah… but how is that possible?”
“I don’t know. But it has to be a sign from her,” Henry concluded, and they both pursed their lips thinking about that odd coincidence. They called the police and CPS the next day.
Soon, David was officially removed from his stepfather’s home, and Margaret, who had been struggling with infertility for years, offered to become his foster parent. They approved her, and David never had to spend the night outside in the cold since then.
He and Henry went to the cemetery once a week, but Henry also took him on several outings. His earlier words about not spending life mourning their loss had been an epiphany. Their loved ones wouldn’t want them to waste their lives at a graveyard. Eventually, Margaret adopted David and felt like her mother had sent her a message through her dream.