Amelia wanted to meet her newborn grandson, but when her son Mark refused to pick her up, she decided to walk to his house. It took hours because she used a walker. But when she got to Mark’s house, he refused to let her in, and something shocking happened.
‘I don’t have time to pick you up, Mum. I have to run some errands for Camilla, and we’re having guests over. We’ll arrange another time for you to see the baby,’ Mark told his mother Amelia on the phone. She was supposed to see their newborn baby for the first time, and her son was supposed to pick her up because his house was far away.
‘Are you sure? It’s only a few minutes by car,’ Amelia almost begged. She really wanted to meet her grandson.
‘Another time, Mum. I have to go. See you soon!’ he said and hung up. Amelia sighed heavily and sank onto the sofa.
She had been worried about Mark’s behaviour lately. It seemed that he had started to distance himself from her. To be honest, it had started after his wedding to Camilla.
Camilla was from a very wealthy family in Connecticut, while Amelia had raised Mark on her own, with the support of his grandmother. They had never had much, except for their immense love. But now her son had everything. Camilla’s parents had given them a huge house after their wedding, and he lived the high life.
Since then, Amelia had felt like an outsider, as if her son was ashamed of his past, although he never said so openly.
‘You’re being silly,’ she told herself when such thoughts came to mind. ‘Mark is just busy. Now they have a child and a million things to do. He’ll pick you up another day.’
But then she had an idea. She could walk to his house. It wouldn’t be easy, but it was possible. There were no buses that went there, she couldn’t afford a taxi, so the only option was to walk.
Amelia got up from her walker, took the bag with the things she had prepared for the day, hung it on the walker, and set off. It was slow going, and even though she could lean on the walker, it was difficult to walk.
She stopped several times to catch her breath, and before she knew it, two hours had passed. Three. Four. Finally, she reached his house, breathing heavily but happy that she had made it despite her mobility difficulties.
She rang the doorbell and prepared a special package, hoping that Mark would open it right away. But when he opened the door, his face changed.
‘Mum?’ he said in shock. ‘What are you doing here?’
Amelia didn’t understand his expression and almost frowned, but focused on the joy of having made it.
‘Surprise!’ she tried to say enthusiastically, even though she was tired, hungry, and concerned about his tone.
Mark stepped outside, closing the door behind him, forcing her to back away with her walker.
‘What are you doing, Mark?’ she frowned.
‘Mum! I told you you’d see the baby another day. You can’t come in right now!’ he snapped, his face contorted with irritation.
‘Mum! I told you you could see the baby another day. You can’t come in right now!’ he snapped, his face contorted with irritation.
‘I don’t understand. Why are you angry? I walked for almost five hours to see my grandson, Mark, and I brought—’
‘I don’t care what you brought! I don’t want you here right now. You have to leave immediately! You’ll see Hans another day, okay? Just go!’ he said sharply, looking back as if afraid someone would see them. He went into the house and slammed the door in her face.
Amelia froze. Tears welled up in her eyes. He didn’t even ask if she was okay, even though she had just told him she had been walking for five hours. He knew she had trouble getting around.
But she didn’t want to cause any more trouble, so she turned to leave, then remembered the bag in her hands. She decided to leave it by the door, hoping he would find it.
Amelia set off on her way back, prepared for a long walk. Fortunately, her neighbour, Mrs Cassavetes, saw her and gave her a lift in her old car. When she got home, her legs gave way as soon as she closed the door. She sat down on the sofa and saw that her legs were swollen.
After resting, she applied ice and took some painkillers. But she had to spend the night on the sofa because the walk to the bedroom seemed too far.
Meanwhile, Mark saw his guests off, ending a hectic day. He remembered that his mother had made the whole journey and felt a pang of guilt.
‘She shouldn’t have done that…’ he muttered. Then he saw the package by the door. He picked it up and read the note: ‘From Grandma.’
Mark bit his lip. He opened the package and saw his old childhood toys inside. They were poor, but these things had always been dear to him. And they still were. Mark couldn’t hold back his tears.
Camilla came outside and became concerned. ‘What’s wrong, dear?’
‘I treated my mother terribly,’ he sobbed, and his wife hugged him. He confessed everything to her, that he had begun to distance himself from his family because he was ashamed of their poverty. ‘I can’t believe how awful I was!’
After his wife comforted him, Mark went to his mother to apologise. He still had the keys to her house and decided to go straight in. There he saw her sleeping on the sofa with compresses on her feet.
‘Mum,’ he called softly.
‘Mark? Why are you here?’ she asked sleepily, trying to get up, but he stopped her.
‘Don’t move,’ he lifted her up, carried her to the bedroom, put fresh ice on her feet and made her some food. They drank tea, and he apologised, telling her the whole truth.
Fortunately, his mother forgave him. ‘I guessed you were ashamed, but I’m glad you came straight away to apologise,’ Amelia said. Mark burst into tears on her chest.
The next morning, they went to his house, and Amelia finally saw her grandson.
Camilla apologised too, and they had a wonderful day together. Soon Mark suggested that his mother move in with them so that she wouldn’t be lonely.
