People at an auction were shocked when a wealthy man paid a lot of money for an old, run-down house. When he finally got to the house, all he took from it was a box.
Eugene was waiting for a certain piece of land to be sold at an auction for foreclosed and abandoned properties. He was waiting for an old, run-down house on a piece of land.
When it was time to auction off that piece of land, the woman next to him bid $20,000 on it.
He didn’t think twice about making the stakes too high for such an old house. “$300,000.”
No one tried to bid more than him, and the room was quiet. When the auction was over, the woman next to him, who said her name was Sarah, couldn’t help but ask, “Why did you put so much on the line? I wouldn’t have bought it even for $50,000.”
“There is something in that house that I would give millions of dollars to have.
I tried to get in many times, but the door was always locked. “They told me I could only get in if I owned the land,” Eugene said.
The next day, he drove to the house after taking care of the paperwork for it. Sarah wanted to see what he would take from inside, so she sat in her car across the street.
As soon as the gatekeeper let Eugene in, he opened the door and looked around. Someone had told him that the last owner didn’t change anything in the house until she died, so he was sure he would find what he was looking for.
After looking in all of the rooms, he finally found a dusty black box in the living room. When he opened it, he couldn’t stop crying. He held the box close to his chest and left the property with tears in his eyes.
He took a deep breath when he got back into his car and then opened the box again. He took out an old picture that Sarah thought was a piece of paper from a distance.
When she saw that, she walked over to him and opened his car door quickly. She was surprised. “Did you just pay $300,000 for this house to get a piece of paper?” she asked.
“This is the only picture I have of my daughter that I was able to find. I have never ever seen her. “She was born when I was in the army 37 years ago, and my ex-wife ran away to hide with her.
“She filed for divorce while I was in the army. I didn’t know she fell in love with someone else and ran away with him. They left my daughter in an orphanage…” Eugene revealed.
Sarah said, “I’m sorry to hear that.” She suddenly felt bad that she kept getting in the man’s way. She asked, “How did you find out about your daughter?”
“I was at a reunion for army veterans when I ran into one of my friends’ wives. She asked me how my daughter was doing, but I didn’t understand what she meant.
Eugene, who was still holding the picture, said, “She quickly apologized and said she didn’t know that my wife and I had split up while I was in the army.”
Eugene told Sarah, “So, that’s my sad story.” “My ex-wife ran into that woman while she was pregnant, and I found out years later that I have a daughter.
I hired a private detective to help me, but all he could do was tell me where this house was.
Sarah was still standing by the door of Eugene’s car and couldn’t say a word. Even though she wanted to leave to give Eugene some space, she realized that he was also looking for someone to listen to his story. He went on to say:
“The private investigator told me that my ex-wife and her new husband lived here and that they had never had kids of their own. When they died, they gave their property back to the state. On the list of what was inside, there was a picture of a baby girl and a box of baby toys.
“I’m really glad you found a picture of your daughter. Sarah said, “I wish there was more I could do to help.”
“I’m pretty sure I won’t see her again. You can stay in this house if you need to. “I already had what I needed,” Eugene said.
“Really?” Sarah said, shocked to the core.
Eugene gave a small nod. “Why not, sure.
“Here’s my business card in case you need it,” he told Sarah before giving her the keys.
Sarah couldn’t believe what had just happened when Eugene drove away. She went inside to look around and made notes in her head about what needed fixing.
When she started to fix things a few days later, she saw a plank of wood on the floor that was loose. She used some tools to lift it, and inside she found a box full of dusty papers.
When she saw what the papers were about, she called Eugene right away. “You really need to be here.
“Hurry!” she told him when he picked up the phone.
Eugene drove to the property, which was 15 minutes from his home, because he was interested. When he got there, Sarah was already waiting outside with a box in her arms.
He asked her, “What is it?”
“I found papers with all the information about the family that took your daughter in. Here it is! “Clarita Thompson is the name of your daughter,” Sarah said with excitement.
“What?” Eugene said as he took a folder out of the box Sarah was carrying. He didn’t believe what he saw. He might have been able to find his daughter.
“Thank you, Sarah! I have to leave now. Eugene hugged Sarah and said, “I’m going to call my private investigator to help me find them.” He then ran back to his car.
Eugene’s private investigator found Clarita and her new family after a few days. When Eugene told Clarita who he was, she was more than glad to meet him.
Clarita turned out to live in a town about an hour away. She offered to drive to her dad’s house, where they caught up on lost time.
Eugene told her what had happened. He was in the army at the time and didn’t know that his ex-wife was pregnant. He didn’t find out he had a daughter until he ran into an old friend by chance.
“Dad, God’s timing is always right,” Clarita told him after he told her what was going on. She hugged her dad and said, “I’m glad we found each other before it was too late.”
She decided to take in her father when she realized he was getting old and living alone. She told him that her husband and two teenagers knew about this decision and were happy with it.
In the end, Eugene took up this offer and even built Clarita and her family a bigger house. Eugene’s last days were happy ones. They ate, played games, and watched movies together in the house he built for them.
Eugene thanked Sarah for putting him in touch with his daughter by putting her name on the title of the house he bought.
He told her that he was moving to another city to be with Clarita and his grandchildren, so he wanted Sarah to have the property.
What does this story teach us?
Anyone can start over at any time. Eugene thought it was too late for him to find his daughter, but with the help of someone he had just met, he was able to find her and even spend the rest of his life with her.
Being kind goes a long way.
Sarah didn’t understand why Eugene bought the old, broken-down house at first, but hearing his story made her feel better. So, when she had the chance to help him, she didn’t think twice about it. In the end, Eugene’s gift of a house to her was a way for him to thank her for being kind.