Old Lonely Lady Receives Deliveries from Unknown Person Every Day, the Last Was a New Home – Story of the Day

A poor old lonely woman named Emma started receiving deliveries every day from an unknown source. She and her late husband never had children together, so she could not tell where these deliveries came from.

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When Emma Richards’ husband died seven years ago, she was devastated. She now had to live out the rest of her life alone, taking care of herself as she had no one else to do it for her.

She and her husband John didn’t have any children that could look after her. Every time Emma was asked why, she always just shrugged and avoided answering.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

One day, while Emma was sitting in her bedroom watching TV, somebody rang the doorbell. She wasn’t expecting any visitors, so she decided to go check who it was.

As she opened the front door, a delivery man in his 40s stood there with several boxes. He was wearing a mask, so she could not see his face clearly.

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“Hello. I am not expecting a package from anybody. May I know who this is from?” Emma asked him.

“I’m sorry ma’am, but these packages were sent anonymously. Rest assured, our security checked them and they are absolutely safe. These are for you,” he said, placing the boxes on Emma’s table by the door.

“That’s strange… thank you, sweet boy,” Emma replied before shutting the door.

When the delivery man left, Emma opened the boxes quickly as she was curious about what was inside. In the first box, there were small household appliances like a new oven toaster, sandwich press, and coffee maker.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

“Who would give me all of these?” she said to herself. She proceeded to open the second box, and there were beautiful clothes inside, as well as groceries.

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Every day, Emma started to receive more packages. It’d always be the same delivery man handing them over, so she decided to get to know him.

“What is your name, sweet boy?” she asked.

“My name is Ted Harrison,” the delivery man smiled. “Mrs. Richards, the sender requested for us to give you this. I’ll wait until you finish answering it,” he added, handing her an envelope.

Curious, Emma opened it and read it quickly. It said: Mrs. Richards, please let me know what you need for yourself, and I will grant them.

“Oh, I am dying to know who has been giving me all of these! Now that person even wants me to make requests!” she exclaimed.

“I’m sure the sender loves you very dearly, even though you don’t know who it is,” the delivery man smiled.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

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Emma obliged and wrote what she needed. She didn’t want the person to spend a lot for her, so she only wrote down necessities.

Since that short and sweet encounter, Emma began to prepare quick snacks for Ted the delivery man. For an entire month, he went to her house, handing her parcels that had clothes, food, books, and other novelty items.

At one point, Emma started to get used to Ted’s company. He would spend time with her by eating snacks together and volunteering to do some housework that she couldn’t do herself.

However, one day, Ted didn’t come. Suddenly concerned, Emma decided to head over to the local post office to find him.

“Hello, can you please page Ted Harrison? I just have some donuts I wanted to give him,” she asked the young woman at the reception table. The young woman looked confused.

“I’m sorry, ma’am. There’s nobody named Ted Harrison who works here,” she replied.

“Oh… but he has been delivering my packages every day. That’s strange,” Emma said, suddenly disappointed. She did not know where to find Ted, and it upset her.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

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She walked back home with so many thoughts suddenly going through her head. Who could this kind Samaritan be? Did I go to the wrong post office? Was Ted just pretending to be a delivery man?

As she got to her front porch, she was surprised to see a tiny box in front of the door. There, she saw a key and a note that read:

I learned the truth just a month ago when I decided to hire a private investigator to find out where I came from. I know you blame yourself and regret what you did. However, I want you to know that I don’t blame you and that I know you only had my best interest at heart.

You and your husband could not feed me, so you gave me up for adoption. I ended up in a wealthy family that treated me like their own, but something always felt lacking. I realized that was you, mom.

You’re lacking in my life, and I would love to spend more time with you. If you’d be willing, I recently bought a new house. I had a key duplicated for you in case you wanted to move in with me. Please, allow me to take care of you. With love, your delivery man, Ted.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

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Emma was shaking by the time she finished reading the message. She had always longed to see her son before she died, and she couldn’t believe that it was him who found her. And that son turned out to be Ted! She couldn’t help but cry, all the guilt from her past catching up with her once again.

It was true what Ted found out about their past. Emma and John were on the verge of bankruptcy when they found out she was pregnant. They knew they wouldn’t be able to raise Ted in a good environment, so they put him up for adoption.

They left their son at an orphanage when he was only months old. With his belongings, Emma left a letter that explained why they could not raise him. The letter was anonymous, but after convincing the orphanage directors to disclose the contents of his adoption papers, Ted found Emma’s name.

Emma wanted to see Ted immediately. She prepared to leave her house to meet him, but someone knocked on the door. When she opened it, she saw Ted.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

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“Hi, mom,” Ted said softly.

Emma started to cry. “I can’t believe it. My son,” she started sobbing. She pulled him in for a hug and refused to let go. “I am so sorry, sweetheart. I truly am. I wish you can forgive me,” Emma continued to cry.

“You don’t need to apologize, mom. I’m here because I want to spend more time with you. It’s not too late to start over. We can still be a family,” Ted said before breaking their long hug.

That night, Ted and Emma spent time together by packing her belongings in boxes. A truck was waiting outside, where they loaded her things so they could transfer them to Ted’s house.

There, Emma was surprised to see Ted’s wife and children. They were just as excited as Ted to welcome her into their home, and since then, Emma never had to be alone again.

What can we learn from this story?

  • The past doesn’t have to define the future. Emma thought she’d never get to spend time with her son ever again until her son decided to search for the truths of his life that led him to find his biological mom. They ended up moving in together and starting anew.
  • Forgiveness can be a beautiful thing. Instead of holding a grudge against his biological parents, Ted chose to forgive them. He even decided to introduce himself to his mom so as to build a relationship with her.

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Parents Started Charging Me Rent Because I Had Decorated My Room – Karma Hit Back

When my parents demanded rent for the basement I’d turned into a haven, they never expected it would lead to my escape and their ultimate regret.

I’d always felt like the black sheep in my family. It was not just a feeling, though. It was pretty obvious when you looked at how differently my parents treated me and my younger brother, Daniel.

When I was 17, we moved to a two-bedroom house, and my parents decided Daniel needed his own room. Instead of sharing like normal siblings, they shoved me into our unfinished basement.

A basement | Source: Unsplash

A basement | Source: Unsplash

Meanwhile, he got this huge, bright room upstairs, complete with brand-new everything, like furniture, decorations, and even a gaming setup. Me? I got whatever junk they could scrounge up from the garage.

I remember the day they showed me my new “room.”

Mom gestured around the cold, concrete space like it was some kind of prize. “Elena, honey, isn’t this exciting? You’ll have so much space down here!”

Middle-aged woman smiling | Source: Pexels

Middle-aged woman smiling | Source: Pexels

I stared at the bare bulb dangling from the ceiling, the cobwebs in the corners, and the musty smell that clung to everything. “Yeah, Mom. Super exciting.”

Dad clapped me on the shoulder. “That’s the spirit, kiddo! And hey, maybe we can fix it up a bit later, huh?”

Later never came, of course. But I wasn’t about to live in a dungeon forever.

A teenager girl in a dark basement | Source: Midjourney

A teenager girl in a dark basement | Source: Midjourney

I picked up an after-school job at the local grocery store, bagging groceries and pushing carts. It wasn’t glamorous, but every paycheck brought me closer to transforming my basement prison.

My Aunt Teresa was my saving grace through it all. She’s the only one who knew what my life was like at home.

So, when she heard what I was doing with the basement, she started coming over on weekends, armed with paintbrushes and a contagious enthusiasm.

A woman painting a wall | Source: Pexels

A woman painting a wall | Source: Pexels

“Alright, Ellie-girl,” she’d say, tying back her wild curls. “Let’s make this place shine!”

We started with paint, turning the dingy walls into a soft lavender. Then came curtains to hide the tiny windows, area rugs to cover the cold floor, and string lights to chase away the shadows.

It took months because my job didn’t exactly pay much, but slowly, the basement became mine. I hung up posters of my favorite bands, arranged my books on salvaged shelves, and even managed to snag a secondhand desk for homework.

Posters on the wall | Source: Pexels

Posters on the wall | Source: Pexels

The day I hung up the final touch, a set of LED lights around my bed, I stepped back and felt something I hadn’t in a long time or perhaps my entire life: pride.

I was admiring my handiwork when I heard footsteps on the stairs. Mom and Dad appeared and looked around with raised eyebrows.

“Well, well,” Dad said, his eyes narrowing. “Looks like someone’s been busy.”

A man with arms crossed and a tight expression | Source: Pexels

A man with arms crossed and a tight expression | Source: Pexels

I waited for praise, or at least acknowledgment of my hard work. Instead, Mom pursed her lips.

“Elena, if you have money for all this,” she waved her hand at my carefully curated space, “then you can start contributing to the household.”

My jaw dropped. “What?”

“That’s right,” Dad nodded. “We think it’s time you started paying rent.”

A man's hand | Source: Pexels

A man’s hand | Source: Pexels

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Rent? I’m 17! I’m still in high school!”

“And clearly making enough to redecorate,” Mom countered, crossing her arms. “It’s time you learned some financial responsibility.”

I wanted to scream. Daniel had a room three times the size of mine, fully furnished and decorated on their dime, and he’d never worked a day in his life. Yes, he was younger, but still, it was more of their unfairness.

A big modern bedroom | Source: Pexels

A big modern bedroom | Source: Pexels

Unfortunately, I knew I couldn’t argue with them, so I bit my tongue. “Fine,” I managed. “How much?”

They named a figure that made my stomach sink. It was doable, but it meant saying goodbye to any hopes of saving for college, which was my plan now that the basement was done.

As if to add insult to injury, Daniel chose that moment to thunder down the stairs. He took one look around and let out a low whistle.

Teenage boy going downstairs to basement | Source: Midjourney

Teenage boy going downstairs to basement | Source: Midjourney

“Whoa, sis. Nice cave.” His eyes landed on my LED lights. “Hey, are these strong?”

Before I could stop him, he reached up and yanked on the strip. The lights came down with a sad flicker, leaving a trail of peeled paint behind them.

“Daniel!” I cried. But my parents rushed to him, asked if something was wrong, and just shrugged at me.

“Boys will be boys,” Dad chuckled as if his golden boy hadn’t just destroyed something I’d worked months for.

Middle man laughing | Source: Pexels

Middle man laughing | Source: Pexels

So, there I was, standing in my once-again darkened room, fighting back tears of frustration. In the grand scheme of things, Daniel had only ruined my lights, and I could fix that up. But in truth, it was more than that.

It was a symbol of my life; always second best, always the afterthought. But karma, as they say, has a way of evening the score.

A few weeks later, my parents invited Aunt Teresa over for dinner along with some friends. She brought along a woman named Ava, an interior designer from her book club.

Two women at a dinner | Source: Pexels

Two women at a dinner | Source: Pexels

We all sat around the dining table and picked at Mom’s overcooked pot roast while she gushed about Daniel and his football team.

But suddenly, Aunt Teresa spoke up. “Ava, you’ve got to see what my niece has done with the basement. It’s incredible!”

I felt my cheeks heat up as all eyes turned to me. “It’s not that big a deal,” I mumbled.

But Ava was intrigued. “I’d love to see it. Do you mind?”

A woman smiling | Source: Pexels

A woman smiling | Source: Pexels

Ignoring my parents’ tight smiles, I led Ava downstairs. As she looked around, her eyes widened.

“Elena, this is amazing. You did all this yourself?”

I nodded, suddenly shy. “Most of it. My aunt helped with some of the bigger stuff.”

Ava ran her hand along the repurposed bookshelf I’d salvaged from a neighbor’s curb. “You have a real eye for design. There wasn’t much potential here, but the way you’ve maximized the space, the color choices… it’s really impressive.”

A bookshelf | Source: Pexels

A bookshelf | Source: Pexels

For the first time in forever, I felt a spark of hope. “Really?”

She nodded and smiled. “In fact, we have an internship opening up at my firm. It’s usually for college students, but… I think we could make an exception for a high school student about to go to college. Are you interested in design as a career?”

I had to stop my jaw from falling off when I tried to speak. “Absolutely! I mean, I’ve never really considered it professionally, but I love it.”

A teenage girl smiling | Source: Midjourney

A teenage girl smiling | Source: Midjourney

Ava smiled. “Well, consider it now. The internship is paid, and if you do a good job, you might be able to earn a scholarship from the company for college if you pursue design. What do you say?”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Yes! A thousand times, yes! Thank you!”

“Excellent! You can begin straight away. I’ll call you with details later,” Ava nodded and bypassed my parents as she headed upstairs.

A nice woman smiling | Source: Pexels

A nice woman smiling | Source: Pexels

I hadn’t even realized they had followed us downstairs. Their faces were stunned, and my brother looked confused that, for once, the spotlight was on someone else.

That internship changed everything. Suddenly, I had a direction, a purpose, and most importantly, people who valued and wanted me to succeed.

So, I threw myself into learning everything I could about design, stayed late at the firm, and soaked up knowledge like a sponge.

A teenage girl working in an office | Source: Midjourney

A teenage girl working in an office | Source: Midjourney

Over the next few months, I juggled school, my internship, and my part-time job at the grocery store. It was exhausting but exhilarating.

At home, things were… different. My parents seemed unsure how to treat me now. The rent demands stopped. Instead, they asked me about my “little job.”

“So, uh, how’s that design thing going?” Dad would wonder over dinner, but he always avoided my eyes.

Middle-aged man looking down | Source: Pexels

Middle-aged man looking down | Source: Pexels

“It’s great,” I’d reply, trying to keep things nonchalant. My joy didn’t belong to them. “I’m learning so much.”

Daniel, for his part, seemed bewildered. “I don’t get it,” he complained one day. “Why does Elena get an internship and not me?”

Mom patted his hand. “Well, sweetie, that’s because you’re still young. You’ll get an even better one later.”

I rolled my eyes. Of course, they had to placate the favorite.

A teenage girl at the dinner table | Source: Midjourney

A teenage girl at the dinner table | Source: Midjourney

As the school year progressed, I started putting together my portfolio for college applications. Ava was an incredible mentor, who guided me through the process and helped me choose my best work.

“You’ve got a real talent, Elena,” she told me one afternoon in her office after hours. She had kindly stayed back, so I could finish up my plans. “These schools would be lucky to have you.”

Her words gave me the confidence to aim high. I applied to some of the top design programs in the country, including Ava’s alma mater.

A young woman writing on a notebook | Source: Pexels

A young woman writing on a notebook | Source: Pexels

Afterward, the waiting was agony, but finally, it happened. I was in the basement, touching up some paint on my bookshelf, when I heard Mom call down.

“Elena? There’s a big envelope here for you.”

I took the stairs two at a time and ripped the envelope from her hands. “Dear Elena, We are pleased to offer you admission to our School of Design…” My knees went weak, but it only got better!

A big envelope | Source: Pexels

A big envelope | Source: Pexels

I couldn’t believe it. Not only had I gotten in, but I’d been offered a full scholarship by the school, the same one Ava attended.

“Well?” Mom asked and gave me a tight smile. “What does it say?”

“I got in. Full ride,” I said, looking up as my eyes watered.

For a moment, there was silence. Then, she went back upstairs. She couldn’t even muster a small congratulation.

A serious older woman | Source: Pexels

A serious older woman | Source: Pexels

My dad said nothing at dinner, and Daniel was somehow angry.

I felt their bitterness. But I didn’t care. Finally, I had what I wanted. Ava held a small celebration for me at the office, and Aunt Teresa held a big bash. It was all I needed.

The next room I decorated was my dorm… then, I redecorated my entire life with colors that shone like my soul, the patterns that made the world unique, and the family I made along the way, who were as supportive as a nice, cozy bed frame that lasts for decades.

A teenage girl happy | Source: Midjourney

A teenage girl happy | Source: Midjourney

This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.

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