They say that family will always be there for you. But sometimes your true family aren’t the people you are related to, it’s the people who support you through thick and thin. This family experienced tragedy after tragedy, and they thought they were alone in the world. Until an unusual delivery man appeared with an envelope. This story was inspired by a reader of AmoMama, where it was originally published.
Another Romeo and Juliet
Meg’s parents disapproved of Theo right away. He came from nothing, no parents, no money, and worked as a garbage man, which they found distasteful. They planned for Meg to marry a well-established man with a fancy profession. However, Meg didn’t care about status; she loved Theo for the amazing person he was. But when she married him, her parents cut her off, refusing to talk with her until she divorced him. They even prohibited Jenny, Meg’s younger sister, from contacting her. She met up with Meg anyway but the pressure from her parents got to her. Jenny began to pull away, hoping her parents would reconsider as time passed. But they didn’t.
Because of this, Jenny had no idea when Theo and Meg tried to have children. Unfortunately, they struggled with infertility, which took a toll on Meg’s mental health. Finally, they decided to adopt. Theo himself was a foster care kid, so they were passionate about providing a family for a child who really needed them.
At first, Theo and Meg planned to adopt one child. But when they came to the orphanage, they fell in love with newborn triplets who had just entered the facility’s care. The babies were found abandoned and a kind stranger rescued them and brought them to the orphanage. Theo and Meg were heartbroken to hear this story but they also felt a connection to the triplets. As if they arrived just in time for Theo and Meg’s visit.
The Cancer Diagnosis
So they became the parents of three beautiful babies, who they named Valerie and Kyle, after Theo’s parents, and Leia, a name Meg had picked out when she was young. For a while, life was bliss, or as blissful life can be while caring for three tiny babies. But the family was happy together, and their home was full of love.
However, the fantasy ended too soon. Several months later, Theo discovered a lump in his leg that became increasingly painful. His doctor found he had a rare kind of cancer in the bone. At this point, the tumor had spread, with amputation the only option. The recovery process was long and extremely painful with hours of physical therapy.
In the meantime, Meg had to re-enter the workforce to support her family. She took the first opening she could find, which happened to be waiting tables at a local restaurant. The hours were long but she never complained. She accepted that although she’d rather be home with the triplets, this is what her family needed from her. It was difficult for Theo to take care of the babies while trying to recover, but he managed, and Meg let him rest when she was off work. Despite all of their difficulties, their family was everything and as long as they were together, they were happy.
A Death in the Family
But the final shoe dropped a year later. One night, Meg was driving home from work when a drunk driver slammed into her. When the ambulance arrived, she had already passed away. The police found her ID in her purse, and the hospital called Theo several hours later to identify her body.
Theo was devastated. He struggled to muster up the energy to care for his two-year-old triplets. But he pushed through his grief to be there for them as much as possible. Meg’s parents attended the funeral but refused to speak to him. Jenny looked like she wanted to say something but stayed silent. Theo didn’t hear from them since then.
Eventually, his savings ran out and he scrambled to get a job. Eventually, he got a position as a clerk but his pay wasn’t enough to cover childcare and other expenses. So he moved to a smaller apartment in a poor neighborhood. The triplets protested this change, and they struggled to understand where mommy went.
For years, Theo tried his best to be strong for his kids but he was constantly on the verge of burnout. He had little support from others since many friends fell away as he no longer had time for them. He felt distant from other people, which is why he was shocked to hear a knock on his door one December.
A Surprise Guest
He hesitantly answered the door, hoping it wasn’t the landlord complaining he was behind on rent. But instead, an old man dressed as Santa Claus stood on his doorstep. The man cheerily acting in character wished him a merry Christmas and said he had a gift for Theo from someone who cares about him.
At first, Theo tried to turn him away, saying he must’ve come to the wrong apartment. After all, he had no friends or family who would send him anything. He believed this was some kind of scam until he saw the names on the envelope — Theo, Valerie, Kyle, and Leia — followed by their exact address. Curious, he took the envelope and found $200,000. Shocked, he asked who sent the money and why did this man deliver it. Seeing that the elderly man looked tired, he invited him inside for a cup of coffee.
The triplets were home from kindergarten and they were shy around this stranger. But they slowly warmed up to him as he told his story. He introduced himself as Eric Pines, and his wife had died from a heart attack a while ago. To fill the void, he began working for a charity that helped local families in need. Being a retired accountant, he worked in the office, tracking donations and the financial needs of the families under their care. During December, he took more hours, not wanting to be alone during the holidays.
Finding Family
That is when he received a call from a woman with a very specific request. She wanted to donate money but she wanted all of it to go to a specific family. When Eric suggested she just give them the money herself, she stated she couldn’t do that. She needed a go-between to avoid familial conflict, adding embarrassedly that she doesn’t know if the family would want anything to do with her. Her name was Jenny, and the family she donated to was Theo and the triplets.
The charity wasn’t meant to act as “go-betweens” but Eric decided to deliver the donation personally. Anything but going home to his empty apartment. Although Jenny didn’t think Theo would want anything from her, Eric thought Theo deserved to know the truth. As the triplets engaged Eric in a game of “guess what’s in my hand,” Theo called Jenny and thanked her. She apologized for not reaching out for all of these years. Although her parents disowned him, Jenny believed he and the triplets were her family and wanted to reconnect. Theo invited her for Christmas, and on a whim, invited Eric as well.
The triplets were thrilled to have company over the holidays, especially since they brought presents. But they also felt the emotions of the adults around them, Eric feeling comfort for the first time since his wife died, Jenny’s love for them and their mother, and most importantly, their father was so happy. The five of them became a mismatched but very loving family. And with Jenny and Eric’s help and support, Theo was able to get a better job with better pay that allowed him to spend more time with his children.
This story was inspired by an original piece of fiction that first appeared on AmoMama. Any similarities between this story and actual people are purely coincidental.