Alex, a teenager, and the old woman who lived next door became very close. Alex came up with a way to help her pay for the expensive repairs to her house after a pipe broke and caused water to flood in. The result of his hard work was a pleasant surprise.
A teenage boy and his parents lived in a house in a sunny little town. The parents worked hard to take care of their son, but that meant they had to leave him alone a lot. Lucky for them, their neighbor was a nice old lady who was happy to take care of Alex.
Alex liked his neighbor as he got older, and they stayed friends until he was a teenager. They got along great, and Alex often went to her house, since she didn’t have any kids of her own and her friends didn’t come over.
She was like an extra grandmother to him by the time he was a teenager. He loved going to her house to talk about his day and eat the delicious food she made. He would sometimes eat dinner at her house instead of his own, and she would always give him something to take home to his busy parents.
Alex decided to take a break from his homework one day after he got home from school. He sat down in front of the TV with some leftovers his neighbor had given him the night before and flipped through the channels. While his dad worked in the other room, he made himself at home.
“I would do anything to take care of you for once, Grandma.”
Alex stopped the show when he heard a loud knock at the door. He got up and went to see what was going on. When Alex opened the front door, his favorite neighbor was standing on their porch, drenched and looking scared.
Alex called her his nickname for her, “Gran.” “What’s wrong?” he asked. “Why are you wet?
She panicked and said, “It’s a mess!” “Water is all over, and I don’t know what to do!”
“Don’t be afraid. In his study, Dad is finishing up some paperwork. I’m sure that he can help.”
Alex quickly went and got his dad, and the three of them ran as fast as they could to her house. As they got closer to the house, they saw a steady trickle of water coming down the front steps, which made the father say, “Oh my!”
The woman said, “I was washing dishes after making a pie when I noticed water coming out from under the sink.” “When I opened the cabinet, I heard a groan coming from the pipes, and there was a small leak. I tried to close the valve, but it wouldn’t move. Then, all of a sudden, the pipe broke!”
When Alex saw how bad his grandmother was, he ran to his father and begged, “Dad, please look.” She needs our help.”
He said, “I’ll do my best, but I don’t think I’ll be able to fix the water damage.”
The two told their elderly neighbor to dry off and wait in their house while they waded through the water that was rushing through her house. When they got to the broken pipe, they started fixing it. The two had few tools and even less experience, so it was hard for them to turn off the water and fix the pipe.
After working for an hour, the father and his son were finally able to fix everything well enough to get a professional to look at it. The next day, the woman called someone to come look at the damage, but they didn’t have good news. When Alex went back to see her, she told him the bad news.
“Thank you so much for helping me. So many of my things were saved by you and your dad. The guy who fixes things said that it would cost almost $95,000 to fix the broken house.
“I’m so sorry, grandma. That’s a huge amount of cash. “How will you pay for it?”
“I don’t know, my boy. I’ll need to come up with something. Don’t worry about it, though. I’m sorry I didn’t bring you something to eat today.”
“Gran, I’m just happy to see you.”
Alex began to think as he walked to his house that night. He knew that the old woman didn’t want to spend her remaining time in a retirement home, so he came up with a plan. He has been teaching himself magic tricks for a few years, and he could use this to help his grandmother.
Alex spent almost all of his free time over the next few months practicing, booking shows, and performing. He looked at what famous magicians did and tried to copy their tricks. This meant he didn’t see his neighbor very often, but he knew it would all be worth it when he told him about his surprise.
When he played at birthday parties or other local events, he always put a tin on the edge of the stage and asked for donations afterward. He said he was trying to help his old friend, and when people heard her story, they felt sorry for her.
He worked hard for a long time on his cause, and then he went to the house next door. The carpets downstairs were in bad shape, most of the furniture didn’t work, and some of the walls were sagging. Alex’s heart broke when he saw someone he cared about so much going through a hard time.
“How are the repairs coming along, Grandma?” he asked the woman.
“Oh, I’m sure I can come up with something. I plan to fix things a little at a time, but that would take a long time.”
“I don’t think you’ll need to do that. I know I’ve been busy the last while, but it was for a great cause. You remember how much I loved magic tricks? Well, I decided to use my skills, and after a few months of doing shows whenever I could, I had enough money to help.
They got all the money containers together and started to count. With every penny and every bill, the woman’s eyes got brighter. When they were done, the amount was exactly one dollar short of what she needed to fix her house, which was $95,000.
“Oh, you lovely boy!” She cried out. “You must have worked really hard to get all of this money. I can’t believe you did that for me!”
“Over the years, you have always listened to me, and when my parents were busy, you took care of me. I would do anything to take care of you for once, Grandma.”
The next day, a contractor came and they worked hard. Everything looked brand-new again soon. New carpets were put in place after the old ones were taken out. They fixed the walls and could even get new furniture. Alex and his grandmother liked the house when the work was done.
“This was the most pleasant surprise I’ve ever had.”
“I’m glad I was able to do it. I was worried I wouldn’t make enough money.”
“You must be very good at what you do. Not many people would go to such great lengths for someone else. “Thanks.”
Alex smiled, and the woman said, “I have a surprise for you, too. You’re the most like living family I have. I’ve never had kids, and my husband died a long time ago. So, I’ve decided that when it’s time for me to leave, I want you to have my house.”
Alex could only stare at her in shock.
“Yes, don’t be so surprised. I wouldn’t have known what to do without you. I won’t be around forever, but I can at least make sure you have a place to live when I’m gone.”
Alex thanked her very much and hugged her tight.
“Now, how about we have a nice meal to celebrate the new house?” the kind old Gran asked with a big smile.