An old man in a grocery store was very sad because he couldn’t buy food for his old dog. After the cashier put him down in front of everyone, he gave up on people. Then, from behind him, he heard a sweet voice that gave him hope and warmed his heart.
Corey Foster, who was 81 years old, was on his way home with tears running down his wrinkled face. He wanted to stay by his wife Brenda’s grave for a little longer, but he was thirsty and tired.
He put a rose on her grave and whispered, “See you tomorrow, sweetheart.”
Before Brenda died a month ago, Corey thought that his life was perfect. “What would you do without me?!” Brenda often joked. But old Corey said that wouldn’t happen and laughed it off.
Brenda died in her sleep while holding his hand. This was sad, and it made his whole world shake. Without anyone to take care of him, the old man became lonely, careless, and confused. Then a furry friend sent from God came into his life…
When Corey Foster’s wife Brenda died, he was very sad.
Corey was crossing the street one afternoon after getting a water bottle. His face was wet with tears and sweat. He moved slowly because he didn’t like going home. After Brenda died, the empty space that was left there haunted him.
When Corey came home from working as a carpenter, Brenda would be waiting for him at the door and wave. But she wasn’t there to greet him when he got back. Even more hurt him was the hole in his heart that she left behind.
Corey was almost at the end of the street when he saw a sad-looking old dog sleeping on a bench on the sidewalk.
On the street, Corey found a sick old dog.
He stopped and turned to look at the dog. “Oh, my,” he said with a sigh and lifted it.
He splashed some water on the dog’s face, and when the poor animal opened its eyes, it gave Corey hope. He tried to give the dog water, but it was too tired and sick.
Corey was ready to go back home. Even though he was hungry and tired, seeing the poor dog made him sad. Then he saw a note on the dog’s collar that said, “Please take care of him if you find him.” The dog’s owners seemed to have given up on him.
“Come here…boy, come here… “Come on,” he said as he picked up the dying animal and carried it to the vet.
The dog was taken care of for a few days. The animal had passed out because it was hungry and thirsty. Corey took care of the dog for two days while he was with him. He spent almost all of his money on the dog until it was healthy again. The vet suggested that Corey give the dog to the shelter, but Corey said no.
He said, “I’ll take him with me!”
Corey gave the dog the name “Hercules,” and they became good friends very quickly. Corey was no longer lonely, and he loved being with his pet. But soon after, new problems took away their happiness.
Corey and Hercules were happy until they had some problems to deal with.
“…
And there’s $1 in the toolbox, too…
Let me look in the closet first…” Corey muttered to himself as he searched every corner of his house for money. “Oh, the drawer has $10 in it!”
Because Corey didn’t know how to make a budget, he had spent all of his money on groceries and expensive dog food. He never made a plan for how much he spent, and because he was a spendthrift, he ended up in a situation where finding just $1 seemed like a big win.
So that his dog could eat well and stay healthy, Corey started to eat less. He took Hercules to the store with him one day to buy dog food and other things.
He looked through the aisles and put some dog food, canned beans, and sausages in his cart. Corey wanted to buy more, but the sound of coins in his pocket reminded him of how poor he was.
He exclaimed, “That will do for a few days!” and went to the cash register to pay his bill.
Corey got all of his money together and went to the grocery store.
The cashier asked the man for $20 after he paid for his purchases. He smirked and looked at Corey from head to toe. He moaned and tapped on the counter, asking for $20.
The money came out of Corey’s pocket. He counted the money more than once with a strange look of disbelief on his face. The cashier was angry.
“Sir, $20…
Please be quick…
More people are behind you.”
Corey seemed powerless.
“I…er… “Please only give me one bag of dog food. I don’t want three,” he said in a shy voice. “And I don’t want the beans and sausages that come in cans.”
The cashier didn’t like it. “Why did you take them if you didn’t want them?” he yelled. “And that dog that you have… it stinks! … “Don’t bring it back here!”
Corey couldn’t buy dog food because he didn’t have enough money.
At this point, Corey’s eyes started to tear up. He remembered when Brenda did all the shopping and always brought his favorite foods home in her bags. Now, he hardly had enough money to buy anything he wanted. But he made sure to buy at least one bag of dog food for Hercules because he now felt responsible for the puppy.
“You only have $12, and dog food costs $8…
The other things add up to $12…
Sorry, but we don’t offer discounts,” the cashier said with a smile.
Suddenly, Corey heard a high-pitched voice coming from behind him. “I’ll cover the cost!” When Corey looked behind him, he saw an 11-year-old boy smiling.
“You! I’ve met you! You played with Hercules in the park the other day!” Corey cried and yelled.
Tom gave Corey a happy nod and paid for everything he had in his cart. He even spent the money he had saved to buy more groceries and food for his dog.
“Son, that’s so nice of you! How can I ever pay you back?” Corey said.
The old man was surprised when Tom asked him for something strange, which made him cry.
A boy said he would pay for the things Corey bought.
“Well, just give it to someone else!
… And bring Hercules to the park every day so I can play with him!” he said. “After this, I’ll pay for his dog food, I promise!”
Tom wanted to be a vet when he grew up. His parents moved him to a new town, and he didn’t know anyone there. Tom was happy that Corey would let him play with his dog.
After the cashier made fun of him, Corey also learned how important money is. He decided to go back to work as a carpenter and make some money.
The next day, when he opened the door, he heard children from next door crying.
“Hey, what’s up, honeys? He asked the girls, “Why are you two crying?”
The next day, Corey came home to find two kids crying in front of his house.
Since he and Brenda never had any of their own, Corey always liked being around kids.
He asked her again, “Why are you crying?”
The kids told him they wanted a swing for the backyard, but their mother never got them one.
Maria, Corey’s next-door neighbor, was a single mom. She worked as a nanny, but the money she made was just enough to keep the house running. She had no choice but to say no to getting her kids a swing.
When Corey looked at the kids, he kept hearing Tom’s words from the day before.
“I’ll pay it forward now,” he said under his breath, and he ran to his garage to start building a beautiful swing for the kids.
A few days later, he put a new swing in the girls’ yard as a gift. Maria was happy to see that her kids were smiling again. But she was worried about how she would pay the old man because she only had enough money to buy food.
“Oh, don’t be afraid! “Aunt Corey isn’t going to charge you for that!” He made a joke. He knew why Maria looked like she couldn’t do anything. He gave himself a pat on the back and was proud of himself for being kind.
Tom did something nice for Corey, so Corey made a swing for the two girls.