Until the death of her husband, Mia lived happily in this old house. But when she found herself on her own, the household turned out to be too much to ask for. An 89 yearold woman, she had no children, so she had to do everything herself. The house gradually fell into disregard, and the woman was less and less able to take care of herself. But one day, everything changed.
When Mia woke up in the middle of the night to a loud noise, she didn’t know what to expect. The bank seemed to come from the living room. She quickly got out of bed, picked up the gun her husband had left her, and crept carefully down the stairs. She found no one in the living room, but after taking a few steps toward the kitchen, she heard a few noises there also.
Now back to the story. She rushed toward the uproar and named her rifle at a shadow in the corner. Watch out or I’ll shoot, she shouted, full of adrenaline. Please don’t shoot, the shadow pleaded. I just want to sleep here.
I’m homeless. Mia lowered her rifle and turned on white. The burglar was a man of 40, but he looked so bad you could have estimated him at 60. Mia led him to the living room couch and motioned for him to sit down. He grabbed some food from the fridge and sat down on a chair next to the sofa.
Calm down. It’s all right. Tell me why you’re homeless. Their conversation lasted all night. Scott, as the homeless man was called, talked about his drug addiction.
As a result, he had lost everything his job, family, and his home. He had been trying to kick the habit for a while and get back to a normal life, but that was difficult. Extremely so. In addition to his addiction, Scott also suffered from various psychological problems, which made it difficult for him to get a job. Tonight, he had decided to spend the night dry and warm at Mia’s house.
With no ill intentions, Mia listened carefully to Scott’s story. When he was finished, she made him a very unusual proposal. Mia decided they could help each other. Scott was in desperate need of shelter and she could use a helping hand around the house, so she invited him to move in with her. In addition to a roof over his head, she also promised him three free meals a day.
Scott gratefully accepted his offer. This marked the beginning of a wonderful friendship. During the following year, he helped Mia wherever he could. He went to the store for her, cleaned the house, Cook for both of them, and even helped her move when her legs liked the strength to do so. In the evenings, the two unlikely friends often chatted by the fireplace until disaster struck.
She passed away a year after Scott moved in with me. Scott was inconsolable. He wandered through the empty house filled with grief and mourning, where everything reminded him of the woman who had taken him in. When his whole world seemed to have turned its back on him. It almost became too much for him.
It didn’t take long before he had resorted to the friend he had for Mia the drugs. But then he remembered the old woman’s words. You’re up here, Scott. This thought brought a smile to his face. The first in months.
He pulled himself together and decided to enter a room that he hadn’t dared open the door since Mia’s death. Her bedroom. In this room where everything reminded him of his dead best friend, he discovered something very special. On a table next to the bed lay a letter in an important looking document. Scott’s attention was drawn to the letter first in a graceful, old fashioned handwriting.
It began with Dear Scott. Scott read on with tears in his eyes. I’ve really enjoyed the past year. If I could have, I would have lived with you forever. Unfortunately, my body can’t handle that.
I hope you enjoyed it too, and feel that you deserved it. You’re a good person, even if you often doubt it yourself. Please put this nonsense out of your mind. And don’t worry. I’ve had a great life and I wish you the same.
That’s why I leave you my last possession, so that you can build your future on this foundation. The house and everything in it is now yours. It’s not much. It’s not what it once was, but I’m sure it’ll help you a lot. Hence this last gesture.
See you again with love, your best friend. Mio. The ink on the letter had smashed on places where Scott’s tears had dropped on the paper, but he read through it a few more times. When the realization had fully sunk in, he picked up the document from the table. The importantlooking document turned out to be Mia’s will.
It stated that Scott was the official heir to all of Mia’s possessions. It didn’t bring his best friend back and was little consolation, but he was infinitely grateful to her. It was in this house that Scott, with the help of Mia, had rediscovered his faith in himself. Here he had regained pleasure in life, and now it was his. But one day, while he was clearing the yard, the phone rang and this was no ordinary calm.
It was someone from City Hallukong. Scott could hardly believe his ears. Mia’s old, dilapidated house had once belonged to a world renowned Canadian writer. Mia was his great granddaughter, but that wasn’t all. The city Council wanted to completely renovate the house and turn it into a Museum.
Scott would receive a hefty monthly fee for this. When Scott heard this, he was speechless with astonishment. At first. It took him a while to prepare an answer. But in the end, he decided to accept the offer on one condition.
In honor of his best friend, Scott had a portrait photo of Mia printed on a large canvas that hung in the entryway of the house. Scott continued to live in the house and Museum and lived happily ever after. It was here where he met the woman of his dreams. She came out of interest in the famous writer but stayed for him. As it turns out, it’s never too late for a fresh start, even when everything seems to be going wrong.
