My only son did not let me see my newborn grandson after I traveled FIVE HOURS to get to him.
At 71 years old, Amelia had finally become a grandmother! She could not wait to meet her grandson. However, when she called her son, Mihai, to find out if he was coming to pick her up, she received an unexpected response.
— I can’t come for you, mom. I have some errands to run for Camelia, and other people are coming over too. We’ll set a day for you to see the baby, he told her on the phone.
She was supposed to go for the first time to see her newborn grandson, and Mihai was supposed to pick her up by car because he lived far away.
— Are you sure? You can get here quickly by car, Amelia almost pleaded. She desperately wanted to see her grandson.
— Another time, mom. I have to go. We’ll talk later! he said and hung up.
Amelia slumped down on the couch, sighing heavily. She was worried about Mihai’s attitude lately. She felt like he was drifting further away from her. The truth is she had felt this way since he married Camelia.
Camelia came from an extremely wealthy family in Cluj County, and Amelia had raised Mihai alone, with the help of his grandmother. They had never had much, but they loved each other immensely. Now, her son had everything he could wish for. Camelia’s parents had given them a huge house after they eloped, and Mihai was living large.
Since then, Amelia felt left out, as if her son was ashamed of his roots, even though he had never said that out loud.
— You’re exaggerating, she often told herself. Mihai is just busy. They have a baby now and a lot of responsibilities. He’ll come to pick me up another time.
But suddenly, an idea came to her. She could walk to their place. It was a challenge, but not impossible. Buses did not go there, and she could not afford a taxi, so walking was the only option.
Amelia got up with difficulty, leaning on her walker, and took the bag and the package she had prepared in advance. She secured them well to the walker and started her journey. She moved slowly, and although she could lean on the walker, it was getting harder for her.
She stopped several times along the way. Two hours. Three. Four. Five. Finally, she arrived in front of the house, panting but happy that she had succeeded, despite her walking difficulties.
After ringing the doorbell, she took the special bag in her hand. She wanted Mihai to open it right away. But when he opened the door, his face changed immediately.
— Mom? What are you doing here? he said, shocked.
Amelia did not understand the expression on his face and almost frowned, but she was too excited. — Surprise! she said, trying to sound cheerful, even though she was exhausted, hungry, and worried about his reaction.
Mihai stepped outside, closing the door behind him and forcing Amelia to take steps back with the walker.
— What are you doing, Mihai? she asked, already frowning.
— Mom! I told you that you would see the baby another time. You can’t come in now! he said, visibly nervous.
— I don’t understand. Why are you upset? I walked almost five hours to see my grandson, Mihai, and I brought—
— I don’t care what you brought! I don’t want you here right now! You need to leave immediately! You’ll see Hans another time, okay? Please, go now! he said, glancing back as if he was afraid someone would see him.
Then he opened the door and went inside, slamming it in her face and leaving her there with her luggage.
Amelia stood frozen. Tears filled her eyes. He didn’t even ask if she was okay, even though she had told him she walked five hours. He knew she had trouble with her legs…
But she didn’t want to cause a scene, so she turned to leave. Then she remembered the bag in her hands. She decided to leave it in front of the door, hoping that Mihai would find it later.
She started her way home, prepared for more hours of effort. Fortunately, her neighbor, Mrs. Căsăveț, saw her and offered her a ride in her old car. When she got home, her legs gave out as soon as she closed the door. She collapsed on the couch, and when she looked more closely, she realized that her legs were badly swollen.
After resting, she managed to get up, put ice on her legs, and took a pill. But eventually, she fell asleep on the couch — the bedroom seemed too far away.
Meanwhile, Mihai was seeing his guests out, waving goodbye from the door. It had been a hectic day, but it was finally over. He curled up, overwhelmed with thoughts and guilt.
His mother had walked to him. He shook himself, trying to convince himself that it wasn’t his fault.
— She shouldn’t have done that… he whispered. When he turned back, he noticed the bag on the floor. He picked it up and saw a tag: “From Grandma.”
Mihai bit his lip, thinking about his mother leaving home alone. He opened the bag and discovered inside… his childhood toys. They hadn’t had many, but those things were priceless. They still were. He couldn’t help it and burst into tears.
Camelia saw him and approached worriedly. — What happened, my dear?
— I did a terrible wrong to my mother, he burst out, and his wife hugged him. He confessed everything: how he had distanced himself from the family because he was ashamed of their modest past. — I can’t believe I was so cruel to her!
After comforting him, Camelia encouraged him to make amends. Mihai immediately got in the car and went to his mother. He still had her keys, so he didn’t call but went straight in.
He found her asleep on the couch, with cold compresses on her swollen legs.
— Mom, he whispered, gently waking her up.
— Mihai? What are you doing here? she asked, dazed, trying to get up.
— Don’t move, he told her, then carefully lifted her and took her to the bedroom. He brought her ice, changed her compresses, prepared something to eat, and they drank tea together. Then he apologized for his behavior and told her the truth.
Fortunately, his mother was the most wonderful woman in the world. — I had a suspicion that you were ashamed, but I’m glad you came right away to apologize. That’s what I taught you: when you make a mistake, you fix it, Amelia reassured him, and Mihai cried in her arms.
He stayed with her all night, and by morning her legs were already feeling better. Then they decided to go home together so she could finally meet her grandson, Hans.
Camelia also apologized because she didn’t know what Mihai had done and regretted not asking why Amelia hadn’t been invited. They spent a wonderful day together, and Amelia gave Camelia plenty of advice on how to take care of the baby.
In the end, Mihai asked his mother to move in with them because they had a big house and he didn’t want her to be alone so far away.
What can we learn from this story?
- Never be ashamed of your parents. Mihai felt embarrassed about his past and hid it from his wife’s family, hurting his mother in the process. He deeply regretted it later.
- When you make a mistake, it’s best to fix it immediately. Mihai acknowledged his mistake and acted right away. Fortunately, his mother forgave him, and they became a united family again.
