When an elderly homeless woman approached me in the Walmart car park, begging me to give her a lift to St Mary’s Church, I hesitated.
Petrol wasn’t cheap. Every penny counted.
‘I’m sorry, I…’ I began, but then I looked into her eyes.
‘Please,’ she whispered, her voice trembling.
I sighed, looked at my son Joey, and finally nodded.
‘All right… get in.’
During the ride, she thanked me over and over, her voice full of emotion. When we pulled up to the church, she practically jumped out of the car.
‘God bless you,’ she muttered and disappeared through the heavy wooden doors.
I stood there for a moment, watching her leave.
‘Mum,’ Joey said from the back seat, his voice soft but confident. ‘You did the right thing.’
I forced myself to smile.
‘I hope so, sweetheart.’
I couldn’t have imagined that this small act of kindness would change everything.
Three days later…
Three days later, at 7 p.m., someone knocked on my front door. I went to answer it, still holding the dish towel, and nearly dropped it in shock.
It was her. The same woman I had given a lift to church.
But she looked completely different.
She stood tall, dressed in a stunning cream-coloured coat. Her silver hair was perfectly styled and her makeup was flawless. She looked nothing like her former self.
‘What… what’s going on?’ I stammered.
She smiled, a look of calm understanding appearing on her face.
‘My name is Eliza,’ she said in an even, elegant voice. ‘And I must explain everything to you.’
‘Please come in.’
Eliza settled onto my worn sofa, smoothing the luxurious fabric of her coat. I sat down opposite her, still in shock.
She took a deep breath and began.
‘When you found me, I was lost. Not just homeless — truly lost. And I had been that way for decades.’
I listened intently as she told her story.
She had once been engaged to a man named Albert, who loved her more than anything in the world. But on their wedding day, she left.
“I told Albert I wasn’t ready to settle down. I had too many dreams I wanted to pursue. He was heartbroken.”
‘But he never gave up,’ she continued.
‘On the day I left, he left me a letter. In it, he made a promise: he would wait for me at St. Mary’s Church every Sunday at noon — for as long as it took.’
My breath caught in my throat.
‘Did he really… wait?’
Eliza smiled through her tears.
‘He waited. He was there. Every week.’
While he waited, Albert built a business empire. But he never lost hope. And when she finally walked through the church doors again, he welcomed her with open arms.
Tears filled my eyes.
‘I asked many people for a lift that day,’ said Eliza. ‘But you… you were the only one who truly saw me.’
She told Albert about me. And he insisted that they find me.
At that moment, I heard a soft male voice from the doorway.
‘I wanted to thank you myself.’
Albert.
‘Thanks to you, I got the love of my life back,’ he said sincerely.
‘I… I didn’t do anything special,’ I whispered.
Albert smiled.
‘You chose kindness when you didn’t have to.’
Then he took an envelope out of his jacket and handed it to me.
‘This is for you and your son.’
My hands trembled as I opened it.
Inside was a cheque for £150,000.
‘I… I don’t know what to say…’
‘Then say you’ll come to our wedding,’ said Eliza, beaming. ‘We’re getting married next month. And we’d love for you and Joey to come.’
When they left, I sat silently on the sofa, staring at the cheque in my hands. Joey came over and wrapped his little arms around my waist.
‘Are you okay, Mummy?’ he asked quietly.
‘Yes, sweetheart,’ I whispered, smiling through my tears.
‘I’ve never felt better.’
