“Don’t worry. We just have to wait a while, and I’ll get all of her money,” Elizabeth heard her son, Tony, mumble those words to someone on the phone. He was in his room, and she was passing through the hallway and stopped short when he mentioned her name.

She had just moved into his house against her will because Tony had begged her to sell her house so he could finance some things related to his business. He also didn’t let her bring most of her things, so she had to sell them too. But at least, she got a decent amount of money and wouldn’t have to tap into her considerable savings.

Now, she knew that Tony was after her savings. His inheritance. That was all he cared about, and Elizabeth was heartbroken. She needed to go back home. Immediately. She grabbed her bag and walked out the door. Fortunately, she only needed to walk a few blocks toward her house in a suburban part of South Carolina.

She was going to take it off the market and move back in. Of course, Elizabeth would have to rebuy her things, but that could be done. However, she reached her address, and the scene before her was too shocking. Her entire house had been demolished to the ground. It was gone. Every single piece of her whole life was gone.

She had bought this house with her husband, and they raised Tony there. But now, her beloved was gone, and her son only cared about money to see beyond his own nose. Elizabeth had nowhere to go now. What could she do?

She walked numbly toward the local park and sat down on a bench. She was frozen in her spot, trying to think of a solution, and didn’t realize when she fell asleep.

***

Twin sisters, Helga and Helena, walked through the park, hoping to find some empty cans to return for some cash. The siblings have been raised in extreme poverty and lived in a shack in a bad part of town. But they stopped their search of any cans when they spotted an older woman sleeping on a bench.

She was deeply slumbering when they got nearer, and Helga began to worry. “We can’t let her stay like this. It’s going to freeze tonight,” she whispered to her sister.

“Maybe we should call an ambulance,” Helena suggested just as silently.

“I think she’s fine, just asleep,” Helga continued, and they decided to wake the woman up. But Elizabeth only barely answered. “Let’s take her with us. At least, we can watch her so she doesn’t freeze to death right here.”

“That sounds good,” Helena agreed, and they started walking the woman towards their shack. Luckily, the older lady walked, but she was not conscious of anything. She continued walking, and when they reached their makeshift home, Elizabeth continued sleeping deeply.

“She must be exhausted if she walked all this way and was barely awake,” Helena commented as they covered her with a blanket.

“I wish we had a bed to offer her and a better blanket. She reminds me of our mother,” Helga added, smiling sadly as they both remembered how their mother had died after years of effort. The girls were left alone at a young age and have lived on the streets since.

When Elizabeth woke up the next day, she had no idea where she was.

“Hello, ma’am. I’m Helga. We brought you here from the park. It was freezing last night, and you were sound asleep,” the young woman said, offering Elizabeth a cup of coffee. Helena was smiling at the woman right behind her sister.

The older woman looked around at her surroundings and saw that they were in an alley, covered by a makeshift shack. These girls were homeless, and she had no idea where they even got coffee to give her. But she was grateful for it.

“Thank you so much,” Elizabeth said and sipped from the cup. “But if I was asleep how did you bring me here?”

“You walked, but it was like you in a trance or something,” Helena chimed in.

“But you helped a complete stranger without question?” Elizabeth asked, surprised that they had been so kind when they didn’t need to be.

“Of course. We weren’t going to let you die out there,” Helena replied and smiled again at the woman. Elizabeth’s feelings were right at the surface, and she almost burst into tears at such a declaration.

She rummaged through her purse, pulled up her phone, and was shocked that Tony had not called her at all. She had disappeared for an entire night, and her son couldn’t care less. She was done with him. This was the final straw.

“Girls, I have to go and do something right now. But rest assure, I will be back to pay you for your kindness,” Elizabeth stated, standing up.

“You don’t have to do anything. We don’t expect anything,” Helga voiced, and Elizabeth marveled once again at their beautiful attitude.

“Oh, I will be back! Expect me soon,” Elizabeth assured them and left.

She went to a realtor’s office and asked about apartments for rent in the area. The kind lady showed several spaces, and Elizabeth put down a deposit for a two-bedroom after a short walkthrough. She bought enough furniture for now, including three beds; one for the master bedroom and two for the spare room.

Then, she offered a home to Helga and Helena, who hesitated at first but decided to accept the offer after a while. The three of them started living together, and it felt more natural than either of them ever imagined.

Tony eventually called his mother, but Elizabeth ignored his calls. She only sent him a message, stating that she would not return to his home, and he should forget about getting any money from her ever again. Afterward, she changed her will, leaving her savings to the girls.

But the older woman lived for many more years, and the girls lives also picked up. They got GEDs, went to community college, and got decent jobs. They both moved out of Elizabeth’s apartment only a few years after living together. But they always returned because she was the grandmother they had never known.