Elly And Peter
Elly and her husband Peter had lived in rural Alaska for nearly their whole lives. She was 96 and had no intention of leaving the little house they had moved into after they got married.
She was just too fond of the open land and quiet nature of the place to leave. And there was nothing she adored more than sitting on their little porch with Peter.
An Unexpected Tragedy
But one day, tragedy struck. Peter was hospitalized and passed away shortly after that. It was something Elly never expected since he was always the stronger of the two.
Elly always knew the day would come, but she assumed she would go first. However, that didn’t happen, and now she was all alone in the wilderness.
Offered A New Life
Elly and Peter’s two daughters weren’t happy with just leaving her there and insisted that she come live with one of them. But they were both living in big cities, and Elly wasn’t too fond of leaving her little cabin.
It was all she had left of Peter, and she wasn’t ready to let go.
Good Old Days
She thought back to the day she met her husband. It was their first day of school, and over the years, she dreamed of marrying him and having a great life together.
Things didn’t really go as planned, but they still had everything they needed, and that was good enough.
Not The Best Place
After they got married, Peter struggled to get a stable job and couldn’t give Elly the house of her dreams. But he could give her the small cabin she was living in now.
It was nothing spectacular. It had only one bedroom and a small living area, but it was theirs, and they tried their best to fix it up over the years.
Falling In Love With The Place
And even though it wasn’t a mansion, Elly fell in love with it over time. They had struggled with the place for years and fought the building every step of the way because it wasn’t very cooperative.
However, the building was sturdy and held up for as long as their marriage did.
Her Neighbors Offers To Help
But winter was around the corner, and it still needed work to survive the snowfall. Unfortunately, it was far too much for Elly to do on her own.
Luckily, her closest neighbors offered to help her prepare for winter, but there was so much work to do with the windows and leaking roof. And Elly knew her neighbors had problems of their own.
Their Son Steven
The first problem was that her neighbors weren’t so young either, and the amount of manual labor needed to fix the cabin was far too much for them. But there was something else as well.
They were worried about their son, Steven. He had been homeless for quite some time and moved back in with them a couple of years ago, but he was struggling.
He Was Losing Hope
Steven couldn’t find a job in the small town they were living in, and it was hitting him hard. He had started losing hope of ever having a place of his own and feared that he would have to keep relying on his parents.
But the extra mouth to feed was also taking a toll on their finances, and things were looking grim for all of them.
Steven Comes To Help
In an unexpected turn, Steven came to Elly and offered to help with her cabin. He was young, fit, and had a lot of spare time that could be used to fix the place up.
Elly happily accepted the offer and was even willing to pay the young man for all his hard work, but Steven refused to take her money.
The Only Ones Who Didn’t Judge Him
He said that he was indebted to her because Elly and Peter were the only people in town who didn’t judge him for being homeless and coming back home to live with his parents. No one else would give him a chance, but they never looked down on him.
They even went so far as to invite him over for dinner occasionally, and he appreciated that.
He Stuck Around
Steven fixed everything that needed repairs, but he didn’t stop coming around after that. He wanted to take care of Elly and started doing other things for her. He was cleaning and even buying her groceries.
Elly was very grateful and wanted to repay his kindness. Since he didn’t want money, she did what she could by cooking him meals and knitting him a scarf.
His Parents Kick Back
However, not everyone was as pleased with their friendship as Steven and Elly were. Steven's parents didn’t like the idea of him working for free and spending so much time with Elly.
They were in financial difficulties because they were helping him out. And with all the time he spent at the cabin, there was no time to look for a job that paid.
Forced To Choose
When Steven came home one night, his parents voiced their concerns. They told him that things couldn’t keep going on the way they were and told him he had to make a choice.
He could either stop helping Elly and find a job. Or he could keep helping her and look for a new place to stay. They couldn’t keep supporting him anymore.
His Decision
Steven was devastated by the ultimatum he was given. He didn’t want to stop helping Elly, but he didn’t want to end up on the streets again, either.
He understood what his parents meant, but he still thought it was a little cruel. However, he had no other choice. But what would he do? And how would Elly repay his kindness? Is there a light at the end of this tunnel?
Poor Elly
Steven felt incredibly bad. He knew it would be much easier for him to find a job in one of the bigger cities. But that would mean that Elly would be all alone again.
It wasn’t the end of the world, as the two of them could still speak over the phone. However, he wouldn’t be able to help her with the errands anymore, and she was getting too old to do it on her own.
No Other Choice
But Steven didn’t have any other choice. He needed to start making money and stop relying on his family for help. He knew Elly wouldn’t be able to do everything on her own, but what could he do?
Even if he chose to stay for her, he’d end up in the same position eventually. He decided that moving would be the best thing to do.
Final Goodbye
Steven’s parents were delighted by his decision and gave him enough money to get settled in. But Elly still weighed heavily on his mind.
He didn’t care about what his future in the big city would be like. Or how long it would take him to settle in. All he cared about was saying goodbye properly. And as he suspected, Elly was devastated.
Tough Times
Without Steven’s help, Elly was finding it difficult to keep the house maintained. She was simply too old to keep up with all the physical work it required.
Because of that, her daughters urged her to come to the city so they could take care of her. But she couldn’t. She just couldn’t leave the last thing she had left of her husband behind.
Giving It A Shot
For the next three weeks, Elly was determined to prove that she could do it. She did her own shopping, cleaned the entire house, and tried to do some of the minor repairs herself.
But then tragedy struck, proving that it didn’t matter how badly she wanted to stay at the house. She couldn’t keep going anymore.
Severely Injured
One day, while Elly was cleaning up her kitchen, she tripped over a cloth and fell. The impact was so hard that she ended up fracturing her hip.
Elly tried to hide it from her children, but her doctor informed them of what happened, and they decided that enough was enough.
Terrible Situation
They demanded that Elly move to a retirement home close to one of them. And even though Elly tried to reject the idea, she knew it was the best option for her.
She understood that her actions weren’t only idealistic and dangerous but that they also had her daughters in a constant state of worry.
A Decision To Make
Even though Elly had already decided to leave, there was still one decision that demanded her attention. What would she do with the house she had lived in for the last sixty years?
She didn’t have the heart to sell it, and she couldn’t just let it crumble, either. But there was one other option, and it involved Steven.
Involving A Lawyer
Elly called a lawyer to help her transfer the house into Steven’s name and to inform him of it. She wanted the process to go smoothly and knew she wouldn’t be able to break it to him.
She wouldn’t be able to get a word out if they had to speak again. But that wasn’t all. Elly had specific instructions for Steven as there was more than just the house involved.
It Had To Work
The truth was that Elly didn’t really care about what Steven planned on doing with the cabin. If he wanted, he could keep it. If he didn’t, that was his choice to make.
But she had to get him to go there just one more time. There was something in the cabin that was meant for his eyes only, and she wouldn’t let the opportunity to give it to him slip through her fingers.
A Surprising Call
When Steven received the call from the lawyer, he was completely shocked. He never expected Elly to give him anything, not to mention the house she adored.
He couldn’t bring himself to believe that it was real. It was simply too good to be true. And quite frankly, he didn’t believe he deserved such a big gift after abandoning her.
He Had His Doubts
Elly’s gesture was far too generous, and because of that, Steven started doubting her intentions. He was convinced his parents had something to do with it.
They probably convinced her to do it so he could move back and be closer to them. And the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to avoid the area altogether.
Considering The Options
Steven had a lot to consider now. Elly’s gesture was more than he ever could’ve asked for, even if his parents were involved. And she loved that place with all her heart.
But if he sold it, he could use the money to actually start a life in the city. He could buy an apartment which would be an amazing start.
He Fell On Hard Times Again
What Steven neglected to mention to anyone was that he had a very tough time when he came back. His money ran out quickly, and before he could even think of making a plan, he was out on the streets again.
Jobs just weren’t as easy to come by anymore, and besides the odd jobs he did here and there, he couldn’t find anything.
It Seemed Like The Better Option
But he didn’t want to leave either. The city had become his home, and he was determined to stay. So he would sell the house and start his life.
He called the lawyer back to inform him of his plan, and the lawyer was happy to help with the sale. But he told Steven that Elly had one condition he had to adhere to in order to get the house into his name. He had to visit it at least once. Steven had no idea Elly left him more than just the house.