Before she passed out and was rushed to the hospital, a struggling woman named Linda never let anyone inside her rundown trailer. Her life changed forever after what happened next.
“Hey, kid! Stay away from him!” shouted Karen as she hurried over to where her son, Alex, was playing with another boy named Jack. “You have no right to play with my son. He doesn’t mix with strange kids and recluses!”
“Mum!” Alex began to cry. “That’s not fair! I invited Jack to play with me because we’re friends.”
“Stop it, Alex! You don’t understand the potential danger some people pose. You know his mother is a strange woman who never lets anyone near her or inside her shabby trailer! How many times have I told you not to go near him?”
“Please, mom! He’s a nice boy, Jack.” Alex tried to explain.
“Don’t worry, Alex,” Jack interrupted. Turning to Karen, he said, “My mom says mothers are always right, but Mrs. Cooper, my mom is just scared. She doesn’t let anyone in because she’s afraid.”
“Afraid?” Karen laughed sarcastically. “We should be afraid of her! She’s probably up to something shady! Anyway, remember this, boy: you will never play with my son again! Understood?”
Jack was so overwhelmed with emotion that he couldn’t speak. He ran away from the park to his old white trailer, parked under a withered tree at the edge of a forest connecting two neighborhoods.
His mother, Linda, grew worried when she saw him crying. “Sweetheart, what’s wrong? Why are you crying? Are you hurt?”
Jack sobbed, “It was one of our neighbors again, mom. They keep calling you names. I hate it! I hate all of them!”
Linda hugged him tightly. “Oh, sweetheart. Don’t hate anyone. People say hurtful things when they’re upset. It doesn’t mean they hate you or…”
“No, mom! You don’t get it!” Jack snapped. “They don’t care about understanding you, me, or anyone else. Do you know what happened today? Mrs. Cooper told me not to play with Alex because I’m a recluse’s son and called you a hermit. Mom, let’s leave this town. I want to get out of here.”
Linda was at a loss for words. She couldn’t tell Jack that she had been fired that afternoon and that their savings were dwindling. After a pause, she said, “Sweetheart, maybe we should wait until next month to decide?”
“But why, mom? Why should we endure their insults?” Jack demanded. “Fine, do whatever you want! I want to be alone,” he said, storming off.
Linda began to cry as soon as Jack left. She blamed herself for being a terrible mother and a failure in life, having let her son down. Slowly, she got up and went to her bed, clutching a photo of Jack as she cried herself to sleep.
After about an hour, Jack returned to the trailer. “Mom, I got some bread on my way back. Can you make French toast for breakfast tomorrow?” he called out as he entered and closed the door.
He found Linda lying in a strange position on the bed. “Mom? Did you eat dinner?” he asked, giving her a gentle shake. Linda fell to the floor. “Mom! What happened? Open your eyes!” he cried as he realized she wasn’t breathing.
Jack quickly found Linda’s phone and called 911. The ambulance arrived shortly, although it felt like an eternity to Jack. As they took Linda away, he sat outside the trailer, covering his face with his hands and crying.
A voice interrupted him. “Boy, what are you doing here alone? Where’s your mother?”
Jack looked up to see an older woman standing in front of him. She smiled kindly and said, “Don’t worry, I often see you and your mother here before I go to work. Is everything okay?”
Jack felt a glimmer of hope. “Mom fainted and was taken to the hospital. I’m worried about her.”
The woman gasped. “Don’t worry, she’ll be fine. Do you know which hospital they took her to?”
“Yes, they gave me an address and a number. They wouldn’t let me go with her because I’m a minor.”
“Would you like to spend the night at my house? We can visit her tomorrow morning.”
Jack hesitated. “But why are you helping me? Our neighbors don’t think well of us. Don’t you also think we’re…”
The woman laughed gently. “Don’t let that bother you, Jack. People can be cruel in different ways.”
“How do you know my name? We’ve never…”
“Well, I see you playing around here a lot when I come home late from work. Your mother always calls you to come inside.”
“Oh!” Jack rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. “Sorry, I didn’t introduce myself properly. I’m Jack Stevens.”
“Hello, Jack. Nice to meet you. I’m Mrs. Taylor. So, are you coming for dinner?”
Jack agreed and went with Mrs. Taylor to her house. They had dinner together, and he stayed the night. The next day, they found out that Linda had fainted from stress and exhaustion. As doctors predicted she would be in the hospital for some time, Mrs. Taylor took care of Jack.
“Thank you so much, ma’am,” Linda said to Mrs. Taylor. “I’m so glad Jack is doing well.” Turning to Jack, she said, “Honey, could you wait outside while I talk to Mrs. Taylor?”
“Yes, mom.”
Once Jack left, Linda broke down in tears. “Thank you for your help, ma’am. We can never repay your kindness.”
“I’ve seen you alone quite a bit. Why don’t you interact with your neighbors? They can be bothersome, but they’re not all bad.”
“Mrs. Taylor, I don’t blame them for treating me poorly. I was ashamed of my situation and kept to myself. After my husband passed away, I thought I could care for my son, but it didn’t work out. We had to leave our big house and live in a small trailer. I worked as a waitress to support my son while trying to write, but I got fired yesterday for being late. I’m a failure. Please take care of Jack. I can’t. I just want to end it all,” she sobbed.
“You mustn’t say that! Ever! Focus on getting better first. Life is unpredictable,” Mrs. Taylor reassured her.
Mrs. Taylor was right—life can change unexpectedly.
Tracy, now signing copies of her bestselling book “The Woman: Life Through the Odds,” was a picture of success in a stylish suit. A large crowd awaited her autograph.
A year ago, she had returned home from the hospital. Mrs. Taylor had started a GoFundMe page to help her and Jack after seeing the dire conditions in their trailer.
This support gave Tracy the determination to start anew. She worked as a waitress on weekends and a freelance writer during the week. She wrote her book at night, and nine months later, it was published. Jack attended a better school, and Mrs. Taylor became like a mother to Tracy and a grandmother to Jack.
As Tracy prepared to leave her book signing, she reflected on how her life had changed. She found a black car waiting for her. Her fiancé, Anderson Brown, got out and opened the door for her.
Tracy had met Anderson at Jack’s school. He was a widower with a daughter, and they fell in love. He proposed, and she accepted.
They drove home to their blended family, with Mrs. Taylor living with them. Tracy silently thanked God for everything on their way home.
What lessons can we learn from this story?
We must be patient and look for the positives. When things get tough, we might lose hope, as Tracy did. But with faith, we can overcome any challenge. With Mrs. Taylor’s help, Tracy made a fresh start and became a successful author.
Don’t judge a book by its cover. Tracy was ashamed of her situation and kept to herself, but people misunderstood her and labeled her unfairly.
