A rich old woman looks down on her poor neighbor’s family and does not miss an opportunity to rebuke them. But everything changes when a tornado hits their neighborhood and destroys her home.
81-year-old Holly Spencer had always been an ambitious and career-driven woman who never felt the need to establish a family and hence lived alone in her massive house. She owned a famous clothing line and there was no dearth of riches for her.
But all that money had gotten to Holly’s head, and she despised anyone who wasn’t in her class, especially her neighbors. In retaliation, they too hated Holly and considered her haughty and arrogant, which Holly didn’t really care about.
But Holly had a particular dislike for her new neighbors who had recently moved in. The Watson family consisted of Bobby Watson, who was a builder, his wife, Amelia, and their five children, Beth, Lily, Anne, James, and Kathy. Holly would frown and call their children nasty and loud whenever she saw them playing in their yard or around her house.
“You kids,” she yelled at them one day. “Be careful not to cross your boundary! And for heaven’s sake, keep your voices down!”
“We didn’t mean to trouble you, Mrs. Spencer,” Beth told her sweetly. “We are sorry….”
“Oh, you better be, you little girl! You kids are screaming as if there will never be another day! And, sure, I don’t want any filth near my house, so keep away from my house!” she added angrily and went inside.
Money can never substitute the love and warmth of a family.
There were multiple instances when Holly would not only taunt the children but also berate Bobby and Amelia, saying things like, “Since when did our neighborhood start providing houses to poor people? You should leave this place and return to your nasty old neighborhood … I can’t believe I have to live next to a lowly builder’s family!”
Bobby and Amelia didn’t take offense to Holly’s taunts out of their respect for her and because she was a senior citizen. But Holly wouldn’t spare a single chance to mock them.
One day, Bobby had just gotten home from work when he spotted Holly struggling to carry groceries from her car to her house. He approached her to help her, but she began yelling at him. “Get away from me! All that grime on your dirty hand will ruin my things!”
Bobby was stunned. “I – I was just trying to help, ma’am!”
“Help?” Holly glared at him. “Did I ask you for help? Listen, whatever your name is, oil and water do not mix, okay? You are just a lowly builder! Stay within your limits!”
Bobby was livid. “Watch out what you say, ma’am! Life never stays the same!”
“I don’t want your moral lectures! Just go away!” she waved her hand angrily at Bobby, continuing to unload her groceries from her car. She didn’t think twice about disrespecting him when all he was trying to do was help her. But several days later, she regretted her decision when an ugly tornado struck their neighborhood and destroyed her home.
Holly sat dejectedly in the yard of her ruined home. She had enlisted the help of some contractors to repair her home, but the extensive damage would take some time to repair.
Unfortunately, all the hotels she looked into were fully booked for the next three months, and her friends all lived in different cities. She was homeless and worried about where to go when she heard a voice.
“If you don’t mind, Mrs. Spencer, you could stay with us,” it said.
Holly looked across her ruined boundary fence and saw Bobby and Amelia. “Because our house is small, Bobby fixed it quickly,” Amelia explained. “I understand there isn’t enough room, but we wouldn’t mind making space for our neighbor. What do you think?”
Holly looked at them with tears in her eyes. “Oh, I – I was so mean to you both. Why would you help me?”
“We never took your words to heart, Mrs. Spencer,” Bobby told her. “While I was upset when you yelled at me the last time, I just let it go …. And it’s something in the past, so why bother dwelling over it unnecessarily… Amelia has made delicious tea and cookies. Wanna join us?”
At that point, Holly realized how wrong she’d been to ridicule her neighbors. She nodded, teary-eyed. “Thank you, dear! I am so sorry….”
When she started living with them, Holly realized that though the Watsons weren’t as rich as her, their home was filled with love and warmth. She’d never lived with such a large family before and loved every minute of it.
When the builders were repairing her house, Bobby stepped in to help them so that her house was restored sooner. But after staying with Bobby and Amelia, Holly was reluctant to leave them. It was the first time in her life that she regretted not having a family.
Bobby’s kids loved spending time with Holly, and eventually, they got so close to her heart that she would invite them to her house every evening once it was restored. The Watsons and Holly became like a family living in adjacent homes.
Several years passed, and Holly left for her heavenly abode one day. After her funeral, Bobby and Amelia received a letter from Holly’s lawyer that stated she had left her entire estate to them. They were in tears when they read it. It said:
“Dear Bobby and Amelia,
You were like a family I never had. I hope you honor my last wish by accepting this as a token of appreciation. I will forever be grateful to you for your help. Please give my love to your children. Thank you for always being there for me.
With love,
Holly Spencer.”