Greg was never a violent man or child, for that matter. But he had nursed this particular scar for so long that he had never for a second considered the possibility of it actually healing.
All the pain he had fostered over the years told him Richard deserved whatever was at the end of that baseball bat. But, as he saw his father walk out to take out the trash, frail and in rags, he realized his own demise.
At this moment, Greg realized just how far and low his search for revenge had taken him. This awful man who had almost destroyed him and his mother was surely no more. And even if he was somewhere in there, was he worth all he had worked tirelessly for?
Greg noticed the “for sale” board on Richards’s yard and decided to put down the bat and pick up his phone. He called the number on the board and concluded that Richard was in debt and the house was being confiscated from him to sell and cover his loans.
Greg immediately left Richards’s property with a grateful and clear conscious for not doing what might have been the biggest mistake of his life. He then bought Richards’s house shortly after.
A few days later, Richard met with the buyer to finalize the sale. His heart sank as he walked into the property agent’s office to find Tina and her son awaiting.
Richard was lost for words, not that they would have done him much service. Moments after he entered the room, Greg announced who he was and told him to vacate the property.
“If I see you again, we’ll have a problem!” Greg said.
The words lingered in Tina’s head as she watched Richard leave in shame the same way she had all those years ago. What are the chances? she thought.
What can we learn from this story?
- Be careful how you treat others; there are always consequences. Richard felt comfortable treating Tina, and her unborn baby however felt convenient to him. His actions later created consequences for him he could have never foreseen.
- Never feed into the urge for revenge. It could lead to your own downfall. If Greg had decided to follow his vengeful heart, he would have initiated his own demise. However, by leaning away from violence, he was able to handle the situation justly.
- Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.
If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a lady whose granddaughter skipped her birthday party to help her with her garden, and her father showed up later enraged.